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并肩 (bìng jiān) — (verb) to stand shoulder to shoulder; to join efforts; (adverb) side by side; shoulder to shoulder

Definition

Stresses doing something together in unity, shoulder to shoulder. Unlike 携手 ('join hands', more cooperative/figurative) or 并列 (rankings/positions placed side by side), 并肩 highlights shared struggle or effort in action.

verb
to stand shoulder to shoulderto join efforts
adverb
side by sideshoulder to shoulder

Examples

  • 并肩，。
    Liǎng rén bìng jiān ér lì, wàng zhe yuǎn fāng.
    The two stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing into the distance.
  • 并肩，。
    Wǒ men yào bìng jiān fèn dòu, yì qǐ shí xiàn mù biāo.
    We must struggle side by side and achieve our goals together.
  • 并肩。
    Tā men bìng jiān zǒu zài duì wu de zuì qián miàn.
    They walked shoulder to shoulder at the very front of the team.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

并bìngjoin
肩jiānshoulder

并 means to join or put side by side, and 肩 means shoulder; the sense is standing shoulder to shoulder.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 并 →

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

肩 combines a shoulder shape with a flesh part to show a shoulder.

Open 肩 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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