高尚 (gāo shàng) — noble; lofty; refined; exquisite | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

高尚 is moral 'noble' — it praises a person's character or conduct, not looks or status. Distinct from 精致 (refined craftsmanship) and 高贵 (noble by birth or rank).

adjective

nobleloftyrefinedexquisite

Examples

高尚。
Tā shì yí wèi pǐn dé gāo shàng de rén.
He is a person of noble character.
，。
Zhè fú huà hěn gāo gāo shàng, hěn yǒu yì shù jià zhí.
This painting is very refined and has great artistic value.
高尚，。
Nǐ de xíng wéi fēi cháng gāo shàng, wǒ men dōu hěn jìng pèi.
Your behavior is very noble — we all admire it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

高尚 joins 高 and 尚, each carrying a lofty sense, to describe noble, refined character.

Characters in this word

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

向

向xiàng尚shàng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

尚 pairs 八 with 向: 八 carries the meaning, and 向 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Personality & Traits

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