伟业 (wěi yè) — (formal) great achievement or undertaking; exploit

Definition

A formal, written word for a 'great achievement or historic undertaking' — stronger and more literary than everyday 事业 (career, cause). Used in political, national, or commemorative contexts.

noun
(formal) great achievement or undertakingexploit

Examples

  • 伟业。
    Wú shù yīng xióng wèi guó jiā de wěi yè fèng xiàn le yì shēng.
    Countless heroes dedicated their lives to the great cause of the nation.
  • 伟业。
    Zhè shì yí xiàng gǎi biàn shì jiè de wěi yè.
    This is a great undertaking that changed the world.
  • 伟业。
    Wǒ men yào nǔ lì shí xiàn zhōng huá mín zú de wěi yè.
    We must strive to realize the great cause of the Chinese nation.

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.

伟wěigreat
业yèenterprise; achievement

伟 suggests greatness, and 业 suggests enterprise, so together they mean a great undertaking.

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 偉; 伟 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi偉wěi
Same sound today

The traditional form 偉 combines 亻, a person, with 韋, which gives the sound. The simplified 伟 is a later shorthand.

Open 伟 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 業; 业 is its simplified writing.

  • 丵丵zhuóchisel
  • 大大dàperson; big

The traditional 業 is explained as a picture of a beam from which bells and chimes hang, or as a person lifting that beam. The simplified 业 is a shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 业 →

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