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赞成 (zàn chéng) — to approve, to endorse

Definition

赞成 is a fairly formal verb meaning 'to approve / endorse' a proposal, plan, or opinion. It is stronger and more formal than the everyday 同意 ('to agree, OK'), and close in meaning to 赞同 but with a slightly more official tone.

verb
to approveto endorse

Examples

  • 赞成。
    Wǒ zàn chéng tā de guān diǎn.
    I endorse his viewpoint.
  • 赞成。
    Dà jiā dōu zàn chéng zhè ge jué dìng.
    Everyone approves of this decision.
  • 赞成。
    Gōng sī zàn chéng le xīn jì huà.
    The company endorsed the new plan.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

赞zànapprove
成chéngagree

赞 “approve” and 成 “agree” combine to mean approve or endorse.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 贊; 赞 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 赞 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (称赞, 赞赏) it is 讚; in others (赞成, 赞同) it is 贊.

  • 㚘㚘㚘
  • 貝貝bèimoney

This note is about the traditional form 贊. It pairs 㚘 with 貝 (money) for helping with money; the simplified 赞 is a shorthand.

Open 赞 →

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →
Appears in
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