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传世 (chuán shì) — to be handed down through generations; to be passed down to posterity (of cultural artifacts, works of art, etc.)

Definition

传世 describes cultural works (art, books, relics) passed down across many generations to posterity. It highlights enduring value and long-term survival, not ordinary inheritance.

verb
to be handed down through generationsto be passed down to posterity (of cultural artifacts, works of art, etc.)

Examples

  • 传世。
    Zhè jiàn wén wù yǐ jīng chuán shì qiān nián le.
    This artifact has been handed down for a thousand years.
  • 。
    Zhè fú huà zhuàn le jǐ shì cái dào wǒ men shǒu zhōng.
    This painting was passed down for several generations before reaching our hands.
  • 传世。
    Tā de zhù zuò shì chuán shì jīng diǎn.
    His work is a classic passed down through generations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

传chuánpass down
世shìgenerations

传 'pass down' + 世 'generations' means handed down through generations.

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsHistory

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