凭着 (píng zhāo) — relying on; by virtue of; depending on

Definition

凭 (píng) means 'to rely on / by virtue of', and 着 marks ongoing state. Note that 凭借 (jiè) is the more formal written equivalent, while 凭着 is common in both speech and writing.

verb

relying onby virtue ofdepending on

Examples

凭着。
Tā píng zhāo chū sè de biǎo xiàn yíng dé le dà jiā de rèn kě.
He won everyone's approval by virtue of his outstanding performance.
凭着，。
píng zhāo Duō nián de jīng yàn, tā hěn kuài jiù jiě jué le wèn tí.
Relying on years of experience, he solved the problem quickly.
凭着，。
Wǒ men bù néng zhī píng zhāo yùn qì, hái xū yào nǔ lì.
We can't just depend on luck; we also need to work hard.

Origin

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 憑; 凭 is its simplified writing.

馮心憑

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

馮

馮féng憑píng

Same sound today

In the traditional form 憑, 心 relates to the heart or mind, and 馮 gives the sound. The simplified 凭 is a later abbreviation, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 凭 →

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě著zháo

Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →