世世 (shì shì) — from generation to generation; for generations

Definition

世世 is a literary bound form meaning 'generation after generation'; it almost always appears in fixed patterns like 世世代代 or paired with 相传, 相守, not used alone.

bound form

from generation to generationfor generations

Easily confused

Examples

世世。
Zhè zhǒng chuán tǒng shì shì xiāng chuán.
This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.
世世。
shì shì Wèi nóng de jiā zú bù duō jiàn le.
Families that have been farmers for generations are rare.
世世。
Tā men shì shì xiāng shǒu zài zhè piàn tǔ dì shàng.
They have guarded this land for generations.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

世shìgeneration

世 means generation, and the repetition extends it across many generations.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →