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启发性 (qǐ fā xìng) — enlightening quality; inspiration; heuristic value

Definition

A quality or value (not an action) of something that prompts thought or discovery. Use it in formal, often academic writing as a noun following 有 / 具有.

noun
enlightening qualityinspirationheuristic value

Examples

  • 启发性，。
    Zhè běn shū hěn yǒu qǐ fā xìng, ràng rén sī kǎo hěn duō wèn tí.
    This book is very inspiring; it makes people think about many issues.
  • 启发性，。
    Lǎo shī de wèn tí jù yǒu qǐ fā xìng, jī fā le xué shēng de chuàng zào lì.
    The teacher's questions had heuristic value, stimulating students' creativity.
  • 启发性，。
    Zhè ge shí yàn de shè jì hěn yǒu qǐ fā xìng, bāng zhù wǒ men zhǎo dào le xīn de fāng fǎ.
    The design of this experiment was very enlightening; it helped us find a new method.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

启发
启qǐopen发fārouse
联合Coordinate
性xìngquality

“启” means to open or enlighten, “发” means to rouse, and “性” indicates a quality; together they mean an enlightening quality.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 啟; 启 is its simplified writing.

For 启, the traditional form 啟 comes from an earlier shape with 戶 (door) and 又 (hand), showing a hand opening a door.

Open 启 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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