传承 (chuán chéng) — to pass on (cultural heritage, skills, traditions); to inherit and transmit

Definition

传承 emphasizes actively carrying culture, skills, or traditions forward to the next generation — broader and more cultural than 传授 (which focuses on teaching knowledge/skills to a student).

verb
to pass on (cultural heritage, skills, traditions)to inherit and transmit

Examples

  • 传承。
    Wǒ men yīng dāng bǎ yōu xiù de mín jiān gōng yì chuán chéng xià qù.
    We should pass down excellent folk crafts.
  • 传承。
    Lì shǐ wén huà de chuán chéng xū yào wǒ men měi gè rén de nǔ lì.
    The transmission of historical culture requires everyone's efforts.
  • 传承。
    Zhè ge jiā zú yì zhí chuán chéng zhe gǔ lǎo de zhì huì.
    This family has been passing down ancient wisdom.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

传chuánpass on
承chéngreceive

传 = pass on, 承 = receive; together they mean inherit and transmit.

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 →

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

  • 卩卩jiékneeling person
  • 廾廾gǒngboth hands

承 combines 卩, a kneeling person, and 廾, both hands, to show holding or carrying.

Open 承 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Chinese Culture & CustomsHistory

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.