TongTong
Sign in

圣贤 (shèng xián) — sages and worthies; people of supreme virtue and wisdom (especially ancient Confucian exemplars)

Definition

A formal, literary term for ancient sages and moral exemplars in Confucian tradition — not used for ordinary people. Note the second character is xián ('worthy'), entirely different from 酒 ('wine/alcohol') in sound and meaning.

noun
sages and worthiespeople of supreme virtue and wisdom (especially ancient Confucian exemplars)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 圣贤。
    Gǔ shí hou de shèng xián liú xià le hěn duō jiào dǎo hòu rén de huà.
    The sages and worthies of ancient times left behind many teachings for later generations.
  • 圣贤，。
    Tā yì shēng dōu zài xué xí shèng xián de pǐn dé, xī wàng néng chéng wéi duì shè huì yǒu yòng de rén.
    He spent his whole life studying the virtues of the sages, hoping to become a person useful to society.
  • 圣贤，。
    Zhè xiē jīng diǎn shì shèng xián zhì huì de jié jīng, zhí dé fǎn fù yuè dú.
    These classics are the crystallized wisdom of the sages and worthies, worth reading again and again.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

圣shèngsage
贤xiánworthy

圣 “sage” and 贤 “worthy” name people of supreme virtue and wisdom.

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 聖; 圣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
呈
呈chéng聖shèng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 聖 puts 耳 (ear) beside 呈, which gives the sound; the simplified 圣 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 圣 →

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 賢; 贤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān賢xián
Same sound today

The traditional form 賢 pairs 貝 (money) with 臤 for sound to write 'worthy/valuable, like money'. The simplified 贤 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 贤 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HistoryPeople (General)

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.