敬语 (jìng yǔ) — honorific language, polite expressions

Definition

敬语 is a fixed term for honorific, respectful language used toward elders, customers, or superiors — a cultural norm in formal Chinese, not just any polite word.

noun
honorific languagepolite expressions

Examples

  • ，敬语。
    Xiě shāng wù yóu jiàn shí, yào shǐ yòng shì dàng de jìng yǔ.
    When writing business emails, you should use appropriate polite language.
  • ，敬语。
    Duì zhǎng bèi shuō huà, zuì hǎo yòng jìng yǔ biǎo shì zūn zhòng.
    When speaking to elders, it's best to use honorific language to show respect.
  • 敬语。
    Fú wù yuán duì kè rén yòng le hěn duō jìng yǔ.
    The waiter used a lot of polite language toward the guests.

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.

敬jìngrespectful
语yǔlanguage/words

The 敬 'respectful' specifies the kind of 语 'language/words'.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →

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