守约 (shǒu yuē) — to keep a promise, to honor an agreement

Definition

Means to keep one's word or honor a promise. Pairs with the opposite 违约 ('break a promise') — same 约, opposite action.

verb

to keep a promiseto honor an agreement

守约，。
Tā zǒng shì shǒu yuē, cóng bú ràng bié rén shī wàng.
He always keeps his promises and never lets others down.
，。
Wǒ men shǒu guò yuē, dàn hòu lái tā méi àn shí dào.
We had kept the agreement before, but later he didn't show up on time.
，。
Tā shǒu le yí cì yuē, dì èr cì jiù méi lái.
He kept the promise once, but the second time he didn't show up.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

守shǒukeep/guard

守 (keep/guard) applied to 约 (promise) gives the sense of keeping a promise.

Characters in this word

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

宀寸守

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

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 約; 约 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìrope

Sound part声符shēngfú

勺

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 約 uses 糸, a rope, for its meaning and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 约 is a later shorthand.