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救世主 (jiù shì zhǔ) — savior; messiah (in a religious sense); redeemer; someone who rescues others from trouble (in a figurative sense)

Definition

Literally 'savior of the world' (救 = save, 主 = lord/master). In Chinese it carries the same religious weight as 'Messiah' and is often used figuratively or ironically for someone hailed as a rescuer.

noun
saviormessiah (in a religious sense)redeemersomeone who rescues others from trouble (in a figurative sense)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • ，救世主。
    Zài xī fāng wén huà zhōng, jiù shì zhǔ bèi rèn wéi shì yē sū.
    In Western culture, the savior is believed to be Jesus.
  • 救世主。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ shì zhè ge mín zú de jiù shì zhǔ.
    He sees himself as the savior of this nation.
  • 救世主。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yí gè píng mín chéng wéi jiù shì zhǔ de gù shi.
    This film tells the story of a commoner becoming a redeemer.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

救世save the world
救jiùsave世shìworld
动宾Verb + object
主zhǔlord/master

救世 is save the world and 主 is lord/master, so a lord who saves the world.

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú救jiù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 救, 求 gives the sound, and 攴 is the action part.

Open 救 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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