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声望 (shēng wàng) — prestige; reputation (in society)

Definition

声望 is 'prestige' — the high standing someone or something earns through achievement, more formal and weightier than 名气 (everyday fame). Closer to 威望 than to 名声 (which can be neutral or negative).

noun
prestigereputation (in society)

Examples

  • 声望。
    Zhè wèi kē xué jiā zài guó jì shàng xiǎng yǒu hěn gāo de shēng wàng.
    This scientist enjoys high prestige internationally.
  • 声望。
    Xué xiào de shēng wàng yào kào quán tǐ shī shēng gòng tóng wéi hù.
    The school's reputation depends on all teachers and students working together to uphold it.
  • 声望。
    Zhè jiā bǎi nián lǎo diàn de shēng wàng lái zì tā de chéng xìn jīng yíng.
    This century-old shop's prestige comes from its honest business practices.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

声shēngreputation
望wàngprestige

“声” and “望” both refer to reputation or prestige; together they mean social renown.

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →

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

  • 臣臣chéneye
  • 𡈼𡈼𡈼person standing on the ground

望 originally showed 臣 (eye) beside 𡈼 (person standing on the ground): a person standing up and looking off into the distance. Later 月 was added, and the 臣 part became 亡.

Open 望 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsSociety & Public Life

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