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举世闻名 (jǔ shì wén míng) — world-famous; known throughout the world

Definition

Set phrase meaning 'famous the world over.' Used as an adjective or predicate (e.g. 举世闻名的长城) to stress that something is known by everyone globally, not just locally.

idiom
world-famousknown throughout the world

Examples

  • 举世闻名。
    Zhōng guó de cháng chéng jǔ shì wén míng.
    China's Great Wall is world-famous.
  • 举世闻名。
    Zhè wèi kē xué jiā de fā xiàn shǐ tā yí yè zhī jiān jǔ shì wén míng.
    This scientist's discovery made him world-famous overnight.
  • 举世闻名。
    jǔ shì wén míng De āi fēi ěr tiě tǎ měi nián xī yǐn shù bǎi wàn yóu kè.
    The world-famous Eiffel Tower attracts millions of tourists every year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

举世whole world
举jǔwhole世shìworld
偏正Modifier + head
闻名hear the name
闻wénhear名míngname
动宾Verb + object

The whole world 举世 hears the name 闻名, giving 'world-famous'.

Characters in this word

Most 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 舉; 举 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
與
與yǔ舉jǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 舉 pairs 與, which gives the sound, with 手, a hand; the simplified 举 is a later shorthand.

Open 举 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Idioms & Set Phrases

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