名节 (míng jiē) — reputation and integrity; one's good name and moral principles

Definition

名节 refers to a person's moral reputation and personal integrity, often framed as something one upholds or sacrifices for. It pairs closely with 声誉, which leans more toward general social standing; 名节 emphasizes the ethical dimension.

noun
reputation and integrityone's good name and moral principles

Examples

  • 名节。
    Tā yì shēng dōu hěn zhòng shì zì jǐ de míng jiē.
    He valued his reputation and integrity throughout his life.
  • ，名节。
    Zài lì yì miàn qián, tā nìng kěn fàng qì cái fù yě bù sǔn hài míng jiē.
    When faced with personal gain, she would rather give up wealth than harm her integrity.
  • 名节。
    Gǔ dài wén rén bǎ míng jiē kàn dé bǐ shēng mìng hái zhòng yào.
    Ancient scholars regarded their moral reputation as more important than life itself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

名míngreputation
节jiéintegrity

名 (reputation) and 节 (integrity) stand together for good name and moral principles.

Characters in this word

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →

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