备受 (bèi shòu) — to suffer from; to be subjected to (negative); to receive; to enjoy (positive, e.g. attention)

Definition

备受 (bèi shòu) is an emphatic 'to receive / to suffer' that works for both praise and criticism — the focus is on the intensity of the experience, not the direction. A more formal, written choice than plain 受到.

verb
to suffer fromto be subjected to (negative)to receiveto enjoy (positive, e.g. attention)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 备受。
    Tā bèi shòu jù dà de gōng zuò yā lì.
    He suffers from enormous work pressure.
  • 备受。
    Zhè bù xīn diàn yǐng bèi shòu guān zhòng hǎo píng.
    This new movie has received high praise from audiences.
  • 备受。
    Nà ge jué dìng bèi shòu zhēng yì.
    That decision was highly controversial.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

备bèifully
受shòuundergo

备 expresses fullness and 受 expresses receiving or undergoing, giving the sense of undergoing or receiving fully.

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 備; 备 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 備 shows a person carrying a quiver, matching the meaning 'ready; prepared'; the simplified 备 is a later abbreviation.

Open 备 →

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

受 possibly combines 爪 and 又 as hands with 舟 as a boat, to show handing something over.

Open 受 →

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