TongTong
Sign in

传家宝 (chuán jiā bǎo) — family heirloom (valuable object passed down through generations); cherished tradition or cultural heritage (passed down as a legacy)

Definition

noun
family heirloom (valuable object passed down through generations)cherished tradition or cultural heritage (passed down as a legacy)
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 传家宝，。
    Zhè kuài yù pèi shì jiā chuán de chuán jiā bǎo, chuán le jǐ bǎi nián.
    This jade pendant is a family heirloom that has been passed down for hundreds of years.
  • 传家宝，。
    Jiǎn zhǐ zhè xiàng jì yì shì wǒ men mín zú de chuán jiā bǎo, zhí dé dài dài xiāng chuán.
    The art of paper-cutting is a cherished heritage of our nation, worth passing down through generations.
  • 传家宝。
    Nǎi nai bǎ zhè zhī cí wǎn dàng zuò chuán jiā bǎo chuán gěi le wǒ.
    Grandma passed this porcelain bowl on to me as a family heirloom.

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.

传家pass down in family
传chuánpass down家jiāfamily
动宾Verb + object
宝bǎotreasure

传家宝 is a 宝 (treasure) that one 传 (passes down) in the 家 (family).

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寶; 宝 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 琡琡chùjade
  • 貝貝bèicowry

The traditional form 寶 shows 宀 (house), 琡 (jade), and 貝 (cowry), drawn together as treasures in a house.

Open 宝 →
Appears in
Family & KinshipEveryday Objects

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.