TongTong
Sign in

佩服 (pèi fú) — to admire

Definition

佩服 means 'to admire' someone's ability, character, or achievement — respect for what they do. Stronger than 羡慕 (envying what they have) and similar to 敬佩/钦佩, but more colloquial.

verb
to admire

Examples

  • 佩服。
    Wǒ fēi cháng pèi fú tā de néng lì.
    I very much admire his ability.
  • 佩服。
    Dà jiā dōu pèi fú tā jiān chí dào dǐ de jīng shén.
    Everyone admires her spirit of persevering to the end.
  • 佩服？
    Nǐ pèi fú tā nǎ yì diǎn?
    Which aspect of him do you admire?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

佩pèiadmire
服fúbe convinced

佩 expresses admiration, and 服 adds the sense of being convinced or won over, giving respect.

Characters in this word

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

佩 is built from 人 (person) and 巾 (piece of cloth), plus 凡, whose role is unclear. Its original meaning was a large sash.

Open 佩 →

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
凡凡fántray
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬝
𠬝𠬝服fú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 服, the part 𠬝 was the original picture for 'to subdue'; the added left part 凡, a tray, later changed shape.

Open 服 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Emotions & Feelings

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