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修行 (xiū xíng) — to engage in spiritual cultivation (Buddhist/Daoist practice); to cultivate oneself; to practice self-discipline (in a broader sense)

Definition

修行 (xiū xíng) means to cultivate oneself through sustained, disciplined practice — originally a Buddhist/Daoist term, now used broadly for any serious self-cultivation (calligraphy, martial arts, etc.).

verb
to engage in spiritual cultivation (Buddhist/Daoist practice)to cultivate oneselfto practice self-discipline (in a broader sense)

Examples

  • ，修行。
    Tā měi tiān dǎ zuò niàn jīng, jiān chí xiū xíng.
    He meditates and chants sutras every day, persisting in spiritual practice.
  • 修行，。
    Zhēn zhèng de xiū xíng bù zhǐ shì xíng shì, gèng zhòng yào de shì nèi xīn de gǎi biàn.
    True spiritual cultivation is not just about form; more important is inner change.
  • 修行。
    Tā bǎ liàn shū fǎ dàng zuò yì zhǒng xiū xíng.
    He treats calligraphy practice as a form of self-cultivation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

修xiūcultivate
行xíngpractice

修 and 行 both point to cultivating and practicing, together describing spiritual discipline.

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu修xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

修 is built from 攸, which gives the sound, and 彡, a set of three strokes that shows the meaning.

Open 修 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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