久经沙场 (jiǔ jīng shā chǎng) — battle-hardened; seasoned by many battles

Definition

Literally 'long experienced in the battlefield': describes someone who has weathered many struggles and is now seasoned and unshakable. Used to praise veterans, not literal fighters only.

verb
battle-hardenedseasoned by many battles

Examples

  • 久经沙场，。
    Tā shì yí wèi jiǔ jīng shā chǎng de lǎo jiàng, jīng yàn fēi cháng fēng fù.
    He is a battle-hardened veteran with very rich experience.
  • ，久经沙场。
    Zài zhè jiā gōng sī gōng zuò le sān shí nián, tā zǎo yǐ jiǔ jīng shā chǎng.
    Having worked at this company for thirty years, he has long been seasoned by the challenges.
  • 久经沙场，。
    Nà zhī qiú duì jiǔ jīng shā chǎng, zài jué sài zhōng chén zhuó yìng duì.
    That team is battle-hardened and handled the final calmly.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

久 likely came from a simple drawing of an arrow tip.

Open 久 →

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 經; 经 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìsilk; thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng經jīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 經 combines 糹 (silk; thread) with 巠, which gives the sound.

Open 经 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

Open 沙 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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