贤 (xián) — (bound form, classical) virtuous and able, worthy
Definition
贤 is a bound, classical/literary morpheme meaning 'virtuous and capable' — it always appears as part of a compound (e.g. 贤明, 贤能, 贤妻良母), never alone.
bound form
(bound form, classical) virtuous and ableworthy
Examples
- 。xián Míng de lǐng dǎo néng gòu dài lǐng dà jiā zǒu xiàng chéng gōng.A wise and virtuous leader can guide everyone to success.
- 贤。Tā bèi yù wéi dāng dài de xián néng zhī shì.He is praised as a contemporary worthy and capable person.
- 贤。Gǔ dài tí chàng xián qī liáng mǔ de pǐn dé.Ancient times promoted the virtue of a virtuous wife and good mother.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
Appears in
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