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名贵 (míng guì) — precious and rare (due to fame or high quality)

Definition

名贵 emphasizes fame or status — 'famous for being fine' (brand-name goods, heritage pieces). 珍贵 stresses rarity and intrinsic value; 昂贵 is just expensive, no quality judgment.

adjective
precious and rare (due to fame or high quality)

Examples

  • 名贵。
    Zhè jiàn míng guì de cí qì shì míng cháo de.
    This precious porcelain piece is from the Ming Dynasty.
  • 名贵。
    Tā sòng le tā yí shù míng guì de méi gui.
    He gave her a bouquet of rare and precious roses.
  • 名贵。
    Zhè zhǒng míng guì mù cái cháng yòng yú zhì zuò gāo dàng jiā jù.
    This rare and valuable wood is often used to make high-end furniture.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

名míngfamous
贵guìvaluable

名 brings fame and 贵 brings value, together meaning rare and precious.

Characters in this word

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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 貴; 贵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney cowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
臾
臾yú貴guì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貴 uses 貝, a money cowrie, for meaning and 臾 for sound. The simplified 贵 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the old parts.

Open 贵 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

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