从新 (cóng xīn) — again, anew, afresh

Definition

从新 (cóngxīn) means 'anew, afresh' — slightly more literary than the everyday 重新, with a sense of starting over from the very beginning.

adverb
againanewafresh

Examples

  • ，从新。
    Kǎo shì méi tōng guò, tā jué dìng cóng xīn kāi shǐ fù xí.
    He didn't pass the exam, so he decided to start reviewing again.
  • ，从新。
    Zhè fèn fāng àn yǒu wèn tí, xū yào cóng xīn zhì dìng.
    This plan has problems and needs to be drawn up anew.
  • 从新，。
    Yí qiè cóng xīn chū fā, wàng jì guò qù de bù yú kuài.
    Start everything afresh and forget the past unhappiness.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

从cóngact according to
新xīnnewness

从 means acting according to; 新 means newness, so the whole means starting again from a fresh point.

Characters in this word

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 從; 从 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
从
从cóng從cóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 從 pairs 辵 (walk) with 从, which gives the sound; the character was originally written 从.

Open 从 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

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