生辉 (shēng huī) — to add splendor/glory (to something); to honor (a place) with one's presence (in fixed phrases)

Definition

生辉 (shēng huī) is a formal verb meaning 'to add splendor or honor to something' — almost always used in fixed phrases like 蓬荜生辉, not in everyday speech.

verb
to add splendor/glory (to something)to honor (a place) with one's presence (in fixed phrases)

Examples

  • 。
    Nín de dào lái ràng wǒ men péng bì shēng huī.
    Your arrival honors our humble home.
  • 生辉。
    Zhè fú huà shǐ zhěng gè fáng jiān shēng huī bù shǎo.
    This painting adds much splendor to the whole room.
  • 生辉。
    Tā de yán jiū chéng guǒ wèi xué xiào shēng huī.
    His research achievements bring glory to the school.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

生shēngproduce
辉huīsplendor

'生' (produce) and '辉' (splendor) combine to mean bring out brilliance.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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 輝; 辉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
光光guānglight; bright
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn輝huī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輝 uses 光, meaning light; bright, and 軍 to give its sound; the simplified 辉 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 辉 →

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