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谦虚 (qiān xū) — (adjective) modest, humble, self-effacing; (verb) to make modest remarks, to speak humbly

Definition

谦虚 means 'modest' — downplaying one's own ability so as not to seem boastful. Very close to 虚心 but more about self-presentation; 虚心 specifically means being open to others' feedback and learning.

adjective
modesthumbleself-effacing
verb
to make modest remarksto speak humbly

Examples

  • 谦虚。
    Tā shì yí wèi fēi cháng qiān xū de xué zhě.
    He is a very modest scholar.
  • 谦虚，。
    Tā qiān xū le jǐ jù, shuō zì jǐ zuò dé hái bú gòu hǎo.
    He made a few modest remarks, saying he hadn't done well enough.
  • 谦虚，。
    Zuò rén yào qiān xū jǐn shèn, bú yào jiāo ào.
    One should be modest and cautious, not arrogant.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

谦qiānmodest
虚xūhumble

谦 (modest) and 虚 (humble) combine to mean modest and self-effacing.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 謙; 谦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
兼
兼jiān謙qiān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 謙 combines 言 (speech) with 兼 as a sound part; the simplified 谦 is a shorthand.

Open 谦 →

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丘丘qiūhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

Open 虚 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Personality & Traits

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