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尊敬 (zūn jìng) — (verb) to respect, to revere; (adjective) honorable, distinguished (used before a term of address on formal occasions)

Definition

尊敬 is a stronger, more formal word for 'respect / revere,' often for elders or distinguished figures. It carries more weight than 尊重 (everyday respect for rights/feelings) and is used in formal address like 尊敬的老师.

verb
to respectto revere
adjective
honorabledistinguished (used before a term of address on formal occasions)

Examples

  • 尊敬。
    Wǒ men fēi cháng zūn jìng tā zhè me duō nián de fù chū.
    We deeply respect his dedication over so many years.
  • 尊敬，。
    zūn jìng De gè wèi dài biǎo, huì yì xiàn zài kāi shǐ.
    Distinguished representatives, the meeting is now starting.
  • 尊敬。
    Zhè wèi zūn jìng de xué zhě zài xué shù jiè hěn yǒu yǐng xiǎng.
    This respected scholar is very influential in the academic world.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

尊zūnrespect
敬jìngrespect

尊 and 敬 both mean respect, so the word expresses deep reverence.

Characters in this word

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

The shape combines 寸 (hand) and 酋 (wine), showing a hand offering a wine vessel to express respect; some forms show two hands instead.

Open 尊 →

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

  • 茍茍jìkneeling person or sitting dog
  • 攴攴pūhand holding a stick, authority

敬 is possibly formed from 茍, a kneeling person or sitting dog, and 攴, a hand holding a stick.

Open 敬 →
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