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品行 (pǐn xíng) — moral character, ethical conduct

Definition

品行 (pǐn xíng) means 'moral character' — how a person conducts themselves ethically over time. Compared with 行为 (just any behavior, neutral) and 品德 (moral character, more about inner virtue), 品行 focuses on outwardly observable conduct.

noun
moral characterethical conduct

Examples

  • 品行，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo pǐn xíng duān zhèng, cóng bù sā huǎng.
    He has had upright moral character since childhood and never lies.
  • 品行。
    Lǎo shī tè bié kàn zhòng xué shēng de pǐn xíng.
    Teachers place special importance on students' moral conduct.
  • 品行。
    Yí gè rén de pǐn xíng bǐ chéng jì gèng zhòng yào.
    A person's moral character is more important than their grades.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

品pǐncharacter; moral quality
行xíngconduct; behavior

品 refers to character or moral quality, and 行 refers to conduct, so 品行 means moral conduct.

Characters in this word

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

品 repeats the same simple shape three times, representing various objects.

Open 品 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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