正当 (zhèng dàng) — honest, reasonable, fair, sensible | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

正当 means 'justified, proper, fair' for an action, reason, or means. It's broader than 合法 ('lawful') and more about moral rightness than 合理 ('makes sense') or 公正 ('impartial').

adjective

honestreasonablefairsensible

Examples

正当。
Tā de yāo qiú shì zhèng dàng de.
His request is reasonable.
正当。
Wǒ men yīng gāi cǎi qǔ zhèng dàng de shǒu duàn jiě jué wèn tí.
We should adopt fair means to solve the problem.
正当。
Zhè ge jué dìng hěn zhèng dàng.
This decision is very fair.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

正zhèngupright

当dāngfitting

正 means upright and 当 means fitting, so 正当 describes what is fair and proper.

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正zhèng

Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

田田tiánfield

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng當dāng

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

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Appears in

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