廉耻 (lián chǐ) — sense of honor and shame; moral integrity | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary/abstract noun for one's sense of honor and shame — the internal moral compass that makes wrongdoing feel shameful. Common in the fixed phrase 有/没有廉耻 (‘have / have no sense of shame’).

noun

sense of honor and shamemoral integrity

Examples

廉耻，。
Zuò rén yào yǒu lián chǐ, bù néng zuò huài shì.
As a person, you must have a sense of honor and shame and can't do bad things.
廉耻，。
Tā wán quán méi yǒu le lián chǐ, wèi le qián shén me dōu gān dé chū lái.
He completely lost his sense of shame and would do anything for money.
廉耻，。
lián chǐ Zhī xīn, rén jiē yǒu zhī.
Everyone has a sense of honor and shame.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

廉liánintegrity

廉 and 耻 both name moral feelings; together they mean integrity and shame.

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.

广兼廉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

兼

兼jiān廉lián

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

廉 pairs 广 with 兼; 兼 supplies the sound.

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

耳止耻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

止

止zhǐ耻chǐ

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耻 is written with 耳 (ear) on the left and 止 on the right. Here 止 gives the sound, while 耳 is the meaning part.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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