正经事 (zhèng jīng shì) — serious matters; real business | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A noun for 'serious matters' or 'real business' — important work, not games or idle talk.

noun

serious mattersreal business

Measure word · 件

Examples

，正经事。
Wǒ men zàn shí bú yào shuō xiào hua, xiān tán zhèng jīng shì.
Let's stop joking for now and first discuss serious matters.
正经事？。
Nǐ zuò diǎn zhèng jīng shì hǎo bu hǎo? bié zhěng tiān wán.
Could you do something serious? Don't just play all day.
正经事，。
Zhè jiàn shì shì zhèng jīng shì, bù néng mǎ hu.
This matter is a serious affair; can't be careless.

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.

正经proper

正zhèngproper经jīngstandard

联合Coordinate

正 (proper) and 经 (standard) make 正经, which describes 事 (matters).

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 經; 经 is its simplified writing.

糹巠經

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mìsilk; thread

Sound part声符shēngfú

巠

巠jīng經jīng

Same sound today

The traditional form 經 combines 糹 (silk; thread) with 巠, which gives the sound.

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

又又yòuhand
中中zhōnga flagpole with a drum

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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