创世 (chuàng shì) — the creation of the world | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/cosmological term for 'the creation of the world.' Used mainly in mythological, religious, and literary contexts — not everyday speech.

noun

the creation of the world

Examples

创世。
Hěn duō wén huà dōu yǒu guān yú chuàng shì de shén huà.
Many cultures have myths about the creation of the world.
创世。
Zhè běn shū xiáng xì miáo shù le gǔ dài chuán shuō lǐ de chuàng shì.
This book describes in detail the creation of the world in ancient legends.
创世。
Rén men cóng gǔ zhì jīn dōu duì chuàng shì chōng mǎn hào qí.
People from ancient times to the present are full of curiosity about the creation of the world.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

创chuàngcreate

创 means to create, and 世 is the world, together referring to the making of the world.

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 創; 创 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

倉

倉cāng創chuàng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 創 pairs 倉 with 刀 (knife) to write 'wound', and 倉 gives the pronunciation. The simplified 创 is a later shorthand.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

Religion & Belief

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