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发家 (fā jiā) — to build up the family fortune, to make one's family prosperous

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to build up a family's wealth, usually through business or hard work over time. Often paired with 致富 ('become rich'), as in 发家致富.

verb
to build up the family fortuneto make one's family prosperous

Examples

  • 。
    Tā kào zuò xiǎo shēng yì fā le jiā.
    He built up the family fortune through small business.
  • 发家。
    Hěn duō nóng mín tōng guò zhòng zhí fā jiā.
    Many farmers build up their family fortunes through farming.
  • 发家。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī bāng zhù xiǎo qǐ yè fā jiā zhì fù.
    This company helps small businesses build up family fortunes and become wealthy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

发fāmake prosper
家jiāfamily

发 says to make prosper, and 家 is family; together they give building up family fortune.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

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