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尽忠 (jìn zhōng) — to devote oneself body and soul (to a duty or cause); to be utterly loyal, to serve with total dedication

Definition

A formal, literary verb meaning to give total loyalty, often unto death, in service of a country, ruler, or cause. Far more elevated than 忠诚, which describes the quality of being loyal.

verb
to devote oneself body and soul (to a duty or cause)to be utterly loyalto serve with total dedication

Examples

  • 尽忠。
    Tā wèi guó jiā jìn zhōng le yí bèi zi.
    He devoted himself to the country for his whole life.
  • 。
    Zhè wèi jiāng jūn zài zhàn chǎng shàng jìn le zuì hòu de zhōng.
    This general gave his ultimate loyalty on the battlefield.
  • 尽忠，。
    Yuán gōng duì gōng sī jìn zhōng zhí shǒu, zhí dé biǎo yáng.
    The employee devoted himself to his duties at the company and deserves praise.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

尽jìnexhaust
忠zhōngloyalty

尽 means 'exhaust' and 忠 means 'loyalty', giving total devotion.

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 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng忠zhōng
Same sound today

忠 pairs 心, meaning heart, with 中, which gives its sound.

Open 忠 →
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