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发誓 (fā shì) — to swear, to vow, to pledge (a solemn promise)

Definition

发誓 is a solemn, personal vow or oath (often invoking heaven or one's honor), stronger than 保证 ('guarantee') and 承诺 ('promise'), which can be everyday. 宣誓 is more formal, typically a public/ceremonial oath (e.g., office-taking).

verb
to swearto vowto pledge (a solemn promise)

Examples

  • 发誓。
    Tā dāng zhe dà jiā de miàn fā shì yào nǔ lì gōng zuò.
    He vowed in front of everyone to work hard.
  • 。
    Wǒ cóng wèi fā guò zhè yàng de shì.
    I have never made such a vow.
  • 发誓。
    Tā duì tiān fā shì zì jǐ jué bú huì shuō huǎng.
    She swore to heaven that she would never lie.

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
誓shìoath

To 发 a 誓 is to make a solemn promise.

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
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
折
折zhé誓shì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

誓 is built from 言, meaning speech, and 折, which provides the sound. The speech part shows it is about spoken words, such as a vow.

Open 誓 →
Appears in
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