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信条 (xìn tiáo) — precept; tenet; creed

Definition

A formal noun for a guiding principle or creed one lives by (e.g. an organization's 核心信条). Closer to 准则/原则 than to everyday 'belief' 信念 — 信条 implies something codified and adhered to, not a personal feeling.

noun
precepttenetcreed
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 信条。
    Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de xìn tiáo.
    Everyone has their own creed.
  • 信条。
    Zhè shì tā men zǔ zhī de hé xīn xìn tiáo.
    This is the core tenet of their organization.
  • 信条。
    Tā yì shēng jiān shǒu zhè ge xìn tiáo.
    He adhered to this precept all his life.

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.

信xìnbelief
条tiáoclause; rule

The 条 sense of clause or rule is linked with the 信 sense of belief, giving a creed.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánwords
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén信xìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Open 信 →

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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