年轻有为 (nián qīng yǒu wéi) — young and promising; accomplished at a young age

Definition

A set-phrase compliment, literally 'young and accomplished', used to praise a person who has achieved a lot at an early age. As a fixed expression it functions as a single unit and is not split up in the sentence.

verb

young and promisingaccomplished at a young age

Examples

，年轻有为。
Tā bú dào sān shí suì jiù dāng shàng le zǒng jīng lǐ, zhēn shì nián qīng yǒu wéi.
He became general manager before age thirty — truly young and promising.
年轻有为。
Zhè jiā gōng sī de lǐng dǎo rén dōu shì nián qīng yǒu wéi de nián qīng rén.
The leaders of this company are all young and promising people.
年轻有为，。
Dà jiā dōu jué de tā nián qīng yǒu wéi, hěn yǒu qián tú.
Everyone thinks he is young and promising and has a bright future.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

年轻young

年niánage轻qīnglight

主谓Subject + predicate

有为promising

有yǒuhave为wèiachievement

动宾Verb + object

年轻有为 pairs 年轻 with 有为: age is light and there are achievements, so young and promising.

Characters in this word

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

禾禾héwheat; grain

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén年nián

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →

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 輕; 轻 is its simplified writing.

車巠輕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūcarriage

Sound part声符shēngfú

巠

巠jīng輕qīng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輕 pairs 車, a carriage, with 巠 to give the sound; it originally named a light carriage. The simplified 轻 is only a later shorthand.

Open 轻 →

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

肉肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

又

又yòu有yǒu

Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.