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勤俭 (qín jiǎn) — hardworking and frugal

Definition

勤俭 pairs 勤 ('hardworking') with 俭 ('frugal') into one moral-quality adjective — praise for a thrifty lifestyle. It blends the diligence of 勤奋/勤劳 with the frugality of 节俭.

adjective
hardworking and frugal

Examples

  • 勤俭，。
    Tā shì yí gè fēi cháng qín jiǎn de rén, cóng bú làng fèi shí wù.
    She is a very hardworking and frugal person, never wasting food.
  • 勤俭。
    qín jiǎn Shì yì zhǒng zhí dé xué xí de yōu liáng pǐn zhì.
    Hardworking and frugal is an excellent quality worth learning.
  • 勤俭。
    Zhǐ yǒu qín jiǎn cái néng ràng shēng huó yuè lái yuè hǎo.
    Only by being hardworking and frugal can life get better and better.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

勤qíndiligent
俭jiǎnfrugal

Both 勤 and 俭 carry their own meanings, describing diligence and frugality in one word.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 勤 →

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 儉; 俭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān儉jiǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 儉 pairs 人 (person) with 僉 as a sound part; the simplified 俭 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 俭 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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