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宝贵 (bǎo guì) — precious, valuable

Definition

宝贵 emphasizes emotional or practical value worth cherishing (experiences, time, qualities), more than monetary worth. Less about market price than 珍贵 or 值钱; broader than 可贵, which praises a quality.

adjective
preciousvaluable

Examples

  • 宝贵。
    Zhè shì yí fèn fēi cháng bǎo guì de lǐ wù.
    This is a very precious gift.
  • 宝贵。
    Zhī shi shì zuì bǎo guì de cái fù.
    Knowledge is the most valuable treasure.
  • 宝贵。
    Zhè xiē lǎo zhào piàn duì wǒ men lái shuō fēi cháng bǎo guì.
    These old photos are very precious to us.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

宝bǎotreasure
贵guìvaluable

宝 (treasure) and 贵 (valuable) combine to mean highly precious.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寶; 宝 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 琡琡chùjade
  • 貝貝bèicowry

The traditional form 寶 shows 宀 (house), 琡 (jade), and 貝 (cowry), drawn together as treasures in a house.

Open 宝 →

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 貴; 贵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney cowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
臾
臾yú貴guì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貴 uses 貝, a money cowrie, for meaning and 臾 for sound. The simplified 贵 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the old parts.

Open 贵 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Good & Bad

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