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舍弃 (shě qì) — to give up; to abandon

Definition

Stronger and more formal than 放弃 ('give up'), implying a deliberate sacrifice of something valued. Often used for ideals, interests, or benefits one relinquishes for a higher goal.

verb
to give upto abandon

Examples

  • ，舍弃。
    Wèi le mèng xiǎng, tā shě qì le wěn dìng de gōng zuò.
    He gave up a stable job for his dream.
  • 舍弃。
    Tā bù dé bú shě qì zì jǐ de ài hào lái zhào gù jiā rén.
    She had to abandon her hobbies to take care of her family.
  • ，舍弃。
    Zài jǐn jí qíng kuàng xià, tā men shě qì le suǒ yǒu xíng li.
    In an emergency, they abandoned all their luggage.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

舍shègive up
弃qìabandon

舍 and 弃 both mean letting go, so together they express abandoning something.

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú舍shè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

舍 is 余 plus 口. 余 was the original picture for this word, and 口 was later added to distinguish it.

Open 舍 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 棄; 弃 is its simplified writing.

  • 子子zǐchild
  • 𠀠𠀠𠀠basket
  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands

The traditional form 棄, not the simplified 弃, shows 子 (child), 𠀠 (basket), and 廾 (two hands), as a picture of throwing out a child in a basket.

Open 弃 →
Appears in
Will & Intention

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