曾孙 (zēng sūn) — great-grandson

Definition

Great-grandson — the male line three generations down (i.e., a grandson's son). Often appears in formal or genealogical contexts like 族谱 (family records).

noun
great-grandson
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，曾孙。
    Tā jīn nián gāng mǎn yí suì, shì lǎo rén de zēng sūn.
    He just turned one this year and is the old man's great-grandson.
  • 曾孙。
    Zēng zǔ fù zuì téng ài de jiù shì tā nà ge wán pí de zēng sūn.
    The great-grandfather's favorite is his mischievous great-grandson.
  • ，曾孙。
    Zú pǔ shàng jì zǎi, zhè wèi xiān rén de zēng sūn hòu lái yí jū dào le hǎi wài.
    According to the genealogy, this ancestor's great-grandson later emigrated overseas.

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.

曾cénggreat-grand
孙sūngrandson

曾孙 combines 曾 'great-grand' and 孙 'grandson', naming a descendant three generations below the reference person.

Characters in this word

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

曾 was first drawn as a cooker for steaming food. The 'once' meaning came from borrowing the sound, so the picture does not directly show that meaning.

Open 曾 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 孫; 孙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 孫 pairs 子 (son) with 系 (continue), showing a line of descendants continuing. The simplified 孙 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 孙 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.