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启示 (qǐ shì) — (verb) to reveal, to enlighten, to inspire; (noun) enlightenment, revelation; a moral or lesson

Definition

启示 is the lesson or insight you draw from a story or event — 'what it teaches you'. Compared with 启发 (to spark someone's thinking), 启示 names the lesson itself, not the act of inspiring.

verb
to revealto enlightento inspire
noun
enlightenmentrevelationa moral or lesson
Easily confused

Examples

  • 启示。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng gěi le wǒ hěn dà de qǐ shì.
    This movie gave me great inspiration.
  • 。
    Tā de jīng lì qǐ shì wǒ yào zhēn xī xiàn zài de shēng huó.
    His experience inspired me to cherish the present life.
  • 启示。
    Zhè ge gù shi de qǐ shì shì bú yào qīng yì fàng qì.
    The moral of this story is not to give up easily.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

启qǐenlighten
示shìshow

启 (enlighten) and 示 (show) together mean revealing something that gives a lesson.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 啟; 启 is its simplified writing.

For 启, the traditional form 啟 comes from an earlier shape with 戶 (door) and 又 (hand), showing a hand opening a door.

Open 启 →

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

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract ConceptsThinking & Cognition

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