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可敬 (kě jìng) — respectable, worthy of respect

Definition

可敬 is a formal, evaluative adjective: people or qualities 'worthy of respect'. It evaluates character, not appearance, so it does not overlap with 漂亮 or 美丽.

adjective
respectableworthy of respect

Examples

  • 可敬。
    Tā shì yí wèi kě jìng de xué zhě.
    He is a respectable scholar.
  • 可敬。
    Tā de kě jìng jīng shén gǎn dòng le suǒ yǒu rén.
    Her respectable spirit moved everyone.
  • ，可敬。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī wéi rén zhèng zhí, shí fēn kě jìng.
    This teacher is upright and very respectable.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可kěworthy
敬jìngrespect

可 (worthy) and 敬 (respect) combine to mean worthy of respect.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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

  • 茍茍jìkneeling person or sitting dog
  • 攴攴pūhand holding a stick, authority

敬 is possibly formed from 茍, a kneeling person or sitting dog, and 攴, a hand holding a stick.

Open 敬 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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