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世俗 (shì sú) — the secular world; worldly affairs (as opposed to the religious or spiritual); common customs; social conventions

Definition

Literary word for 'the secular / worldly' realm — ordinary social life as opposed to the religious or spiritual. Often carries a slightly negative tone, implying shallow concern with money and status.

noun
the secular worldworldly affairs (as opposed to the religious or spiritual)common customssocial conventions

Examples

  • 世俗，。
    Tā yàn juàn le shì sú de shēng huó, jué dìng chū jiā xiū xíng.
    He grew tired of worldly life and decided to become a monk.
  • 世俗。
    Zhè xiē shì sú de guān niàn yǐ jīng guò shí le.
    These conventional ideas are already outdated.
  • ，。
    Zài shì sú shè huì zhōng, rén men wǎng wǎng zhuī qiú míng lì.
    In secular society, people often pursue fame and fortune.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

世shìworld
俗súcustoms

世 gives the worldly setting, and 俗 gives customs.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ俗sú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俗 is built from 亻, a person, and 谷, which gives the sound; it refers to customs of people.

Open 俗 →
Appears in
Society & Public Life

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