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成器 (chéng qì) — (of objects) usable, of good quality; (of people) to grow up to be a useful person

Definition

Literary adjective meaning 'well-made / of good quality' for objects, or 'grows up to be a capable person' — often negated as 不成器 to mean 'good-for-nothing'.

adjective
(of objects) usableof good quality(of people) to grow up to be a useful person

Examples

  • 成器，。
    Zhè jiàn jiā jù hěn chéng qì, yòng le shí nián hái hǎo hǎo de.
    This piece of furniture is of good quality; after ten years it's still fine.
  • 成器。
    Fù mǔ dōu xī wàng hái zi néng chéng qì.
    Parents all hope their children will become useful people.
  • ，。
    Zhè hái zi zhēn bù chéng qì, zhěng tiān bù xué xí.
    This child is really good for nothing; doesn't study all day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

成chéngbecome
器qìvessel

“成” gives become and “器” gives vessel, so together they mean become useful.

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →
Appears in
Success & Failure

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