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当之无愧 (dāng zhī wú kuì) — to fully deserve (an honor, title, etc.); to be worthy of without any reservations

Definition

A chengyu used after naming an honor, award, or title: it means the person fully deserves it. Distinct from 头衔 (tóuxián), which is the title itself.

phrase
to fully deserve (an honor, title, etc.)to be worthy of without any reservations

Examples

  • ，当之无愧。
    Tā bèi píng wéi zuì jiā yuán gōng, tā dāng zhī wú kuì.
    He was rated the best employee—he fully deserves it.
  • 当之无愧。
    Zhè ge chēng hào yòng zài tā shēn shàng dāng zhī wú kuì.
    This title is fitting for him—he deserves it.
  • ，当之无愧。
    Tā bèi yù wéi pīng tán huáng hòu, dí què dāng zhī wú kuì.
    She is hailed as the queen of table tennis—truly deserving.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

当之deserve it
当dāngdeserve之zhīit
动宾Verb + object
无愧without shame
无wúwithout愧kuìshame
动宾Verb + object

当 means to deserve, 之 refers to the honor, and 无愧 means without shame; together they say one fully deserves it.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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

愧 has 心, the heart, on the left and 鬼 on the right. 鬼 gives the sound, while 心 shows that the meaning is a feeling in the heart.

Open 愧 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

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