品学兼优 (pǐn xué jiān yōu) — excelling in both moral character and academic performance

Definition

A four-character idiom praising someone as outstanding in BOTH moral character (品) and academic performance (学). Used as a formal commendation for students.

idiom
excelling in both moral character and academic performance

Examples

  • 品学兼优，。
    Tā shì yí gè pǐn xué jiān yōu de hǎo xué shēng, lǎo shī dōu hěn xǐ huan tā.
    She is a good student who excels in both character and studies; all the teachers like her.
  • 品学兼优。
    Xué xiào měi nián dōu huì píng xuǎn pǐn xué jiān yōu de xué shēng.
    The school selects students who excel in both character and academics every year.
  • 品学兼优，。
    Tā pǐn xué jiān yōu, bèi bǎo sòng dào le yì suǒ zhòng diǎn dà xué.
    He excelled in both character and scholarship and was recommended for admission to a top university.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

品学character and scholarship
品pǐnmoral character学xuéscholarship
联合Side by side
兼优both excellent
兼jiānboth优yōuexcellent
偏正Modifier + head

“品” and “学” mean moral character and scholarship; “兼” and “优” say both are excellent.

Characters in this word

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

品 repeats the same simple shape three times, representing various objects.

Open 品 →

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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

The shape of 兼 pictures a hand holding two grain stalks, showing two things together.

Open 兼 →

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 優; 优 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
憂
憂yōu優yōu
Same sound today

The traditional form 優 combines 亻 (人, person) with 憂 for the sound; the simplified 优 is a later abbreviation.

Open 优 →

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