贤明 (xián míng) — wise and able, sagacious

Definition

Formal written word for a wise and capable leader who makes sound judgments. Stronger than 聪明 (just 'clever') and typically reserved for rulers or high officials in classical or formal contexts.

adjective
wise and ablesagacious

Examples

  • 贤明，。
    Zhè wèi lǐng dǎo fēi cháng xián míng, zuò chū le zhèng què de jué cè.
    This leader is very wise and able, making the right decisions.
  • 贤明。
    Dà jiā dōu chēng zàn tā shì yí wèi xián míng de jūn zhǔ.
    Everyone praises him as a wise and able monarch.
  • 贤明。
    Tā tí chū de xián míng jiàn yì bèi dà jiā cǎi nà le.
    The wise and able suggestion he put forward was adopted by everyone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

贤xiánvirtuous
明míngwise

贤 means virtuous and 明 means wise, together describing sagacious ability.

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 賢; 贤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān賢xián
Same sound today

The traditional form 賢 pairs 貝 (money) with 臤 for sound to write 'worthy/valuable, like money'. The simplified 贤 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 贤 →

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

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →

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