成仁 (chéng rén) — to die for a righteous cause, to sacrifice one'… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, literary verb meaning 'to die for a righteous cause,' almost always used in historical or patriotic contexts (e.g., 杀身成仁). Not used in everyday speech.

verb

to die for a righteous cause, to sacrifice one's life for a just principle

Examples

成仁。
Xǔ duō rén rén zhì shì wèi le xìn yǎng ér chéng rén.
Many people of goodwill die for their beliefs.
。
Tā zuì zhōng zài gé mìng zhōng chéng le rén.
He ultimately died for the revolution.
成仁。
Tā wèi le guó jiā ér chéng rén.
He died for his country.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

成chéngaccomplish

仁rénbenevolence

成 accomplish and 仁 benevolence together mean fulfill benevolence, hence dying for righteousness.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng成chéng

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

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén仁rén

Same sound today

仁 is built from 人 and 二; 人 gives the sound, and 二 gives the meaning.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases

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