TongTong
Sign in

省事 (shěng shì) — to save trouble, to simplify matters; (adjective) convenient, hassle-free

Definition

省事 means 'to save trouble' — usually a property of a method or option being convenient and low-effort. Unlike 方便 (a general 'convenient'), 省事 emphasizes cutting hassle, often in the pattern 这样/这个办法最省事.

verb
to save troubleto simplify matters
adjective
convenienthassle-free

Examples

  • 省事。
    Yòng zhè ge ruǎn jiàn néng shěng shì hěn duō.
    Using this software can save a lot of trouble.
  • 省事。
    Zì jǐ zuò bǐ mǎi xiàn chéng de bìng bù shěng shì.
    Making it yourself isn't actually less trouble than buying it ready-made.
  • 省事，。
    Zhè ge bàn fǎ zuì shěng shì, wǒ men shì shì kàn.
    This method is the most convenient — let's give it a try.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

省shěngsave
事shìtrouble

省 “save” and 事 “trouble” together describe saving trouble or making matters convenient.

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.

The upper part of 省 is a changed form of 生, which gave the sound, while the lower 目 is an eye; the picture showed looking closely or inspecting.

Open 省 →

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

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

Open 事 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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