愚忠 (yú zhōng) — blind devotion (to a ruler, leader, or cause); unquestioning loyalty

Definition

A noun for loyalty that is blind or unthinking — devotion without the willingness to question. Always carries a negative judgment, unlike plain 忠诚 ('loyalty'), which is neutral or positive.

noun
blind devotion (to a ruler, leader, or cause)unquestioning loyalty

Examples

  • 愚忠，。
    Tā duì nà ge lǐng dǎo shì yú zhōng, cóng bú zhì yí rèn hé jué dìng.
    His blind devotion to that leader never questions any decision.
  • 愚忠。
    Lì shǐ shàng xǔ duō guān yuán de yú zhōng dǎo zhì le guó jiā de shuāi luò.
    In history, the blind devotion of many officials led to the nation's decline.
  • 愚忠，。
    yú zhōng Bú shì zhēn zhèng de zhōng chéng, ér shì quē fá dú lì sī kǎo.
    Blind devotion is not true loyalty, but a lack of independent thinking.

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.

愚yúfoolish
忠zhōngloyalty

愚 means foolish, and 忠 means loyalty; together they describe blind, unquestioning devotion.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú愚yú
Same sound today

愚 pairs 心 (heart) with 禺 for the sound; the heart part relates to the sense of foolishness.

Open 愚 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.