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善事 (shàn shì) — good deeds

Definition

noun
good deeds
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 善事，。
    Tā jīng cháng zuò shàn shì, bāng zhù pín kùn hái zi.
    He often does good deeds, helping poor children.
  • 善事，。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi duō zuò shàn shì, ràng shì jiè gèng měi hǎo.
    We should do more good deeds to make the world better.
  • 善事，。
    Tā de yì shēng dōu zài zuò shàn shì, bù qiú huí bào.
    She spent her whole life doing good deeds without expecting anything in return.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

善shàngood
事shìmatter

善 means good and 事 means deed, so 善事 names good deeds.

Characters in this word

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

An earlier form of 善 joined 羊, a sheep linked with goodness or beauty, and 誩, described as a wrangle; the reference says this meaning link is hard to understand.

Open 善 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
Society & Public Life

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