贤良 (xián liáng) — (of a person) able and virtuous; worthy and capable

Definition

Classical/literary term praising someone as both morally upright and capable. Today mostly appears in fixed phrases like 贤良之士 and historical writing about officials.

adjective
(of a person) able and virtuousworthy and capable

Examples

  • 贤良，。
    Zhè wèi dà chén yǐ xián liáng zhù chēng, shēn shòu bǎi xìng ài dài.
    This minister was known for being able and virtuous, deeply loved by the people.
  • ，贤良。
    Gǔ dài xuǎn bá guān yuán, shǒu yào biāo zhǔn jiù shì xián liáng.
    In ancient times, the primary criterion for selecting officials was being able and virtuous.
  • 贤良，。
    Tā shì yí wèi xián liáng zhī shì, zhí dé dà jiā xué xí.
    He is a man of ability and virtue, worthy of everyone's study.

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
良liánggood

贤 means virtuous and 良 means good, together describing a worthy person.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

良 possibly depicts corridors and a room.

Open 良 →

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