世袭 (shì xí) — hereditary (titles, positions, properties)

Definition

An adjective describing titles, positions, or land passed down through a family line over generations. Often combines with nouns like 制度 or 贵族 in formal or historical contexts.

adjective
hereditary (titles, positions, properties)

Examples

  • 世袭。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de shì xí zhì dù yǐ jīng chí xù le yì qiān nián.
    The hereditary system in this country has lasted for a thousand years.
  • 世袭。
    Tā chū shēn yú shì xí guì zú jiā tíng.
    He comes from a hereditary aristocratic family.
  • ，世袭。
    Zài lì shǐ shàng, shì xí lǐng dì bù kě yǐ zì yóu mǎi mai.
    Historically, hereditary estates could not be freely bought or sold.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

世shìgenerations
袭xíinherit

世 means generations, and 袭 means inherit, giving hereditary succession.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 襲; 袭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīcloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
龖
龖dá襲xí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 襲, 衣 shows cloth and 龖 gives the sound; the simplified 袭 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical components.

Open 袭 →

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