应景 (yìng jǐng) — to do something for the occasion; to be fitting for the circumstances

Definition

应景 means doing or choosing something to fit the occasion — going along with what's happening around you, or suiting the moment. Often carries a sense of conformity rather than personal preference.

verb
to do something for the occasionto be fitting for the circumstances

Examples

  • ，。
    Dà jiā dōu chuān hóng sè, wǒ yě huàn le jiàn hóng yī fu lái yìng gè jǐng.
    Everyone was wearing red, so I changed into a red dress to go along with it.
  • ，应景，。
    Zhè duàn fā yán suī rán jiǎn dān, què fēi cháng yìng jǐng, yíng dé le zhǎng shēng.
    Though brief, the speech was very timely and earned applause.
  • 应景，。
    Chūn jié tiē duì lián shì yìng jǐng de zuò fǎ, jiā jiā hù hù dōu huì zuò.
    Pasting couplets during Spring Festival is a fitting tradition; every household does it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

应yìngrespond
景jǐngscene

应 means to fit or respond, and 景 is the scene or occasion, giving 'fitting the occasion'.

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng景jǐng
Same sound today

景 has 日 (sun) with 京, which gives its sound; it originally meant sunlight.

Open 景 →

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