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成才 (chéng cái) — to become a capable and successful person; to make something of oneself

Definition

成才 (chéngcái) means 'to grow into a capable, successful person' — focused on personal development and talent. Distinct from 立功, which is about earning merit through specific achievements.

verb
to become a capable and successful personto make something of oneself

Examples

  • ，成才。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù hěn nǔ lì, hòu lái zhōng yú chéng cái le.
    He has worked hard since childhood and finally made something of himself.
  • ，。
    Tā chéng le cái yǐ hòu, méi yǒu wàng jì bāng zhù bié rén.
    After he became successful, he didn't forget to help others.
  • 成才。
    Fù mǔ dōu xī wàng hái zi néng chéng cái.
    Parents all hope their children will become successful.

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
才cáitalent

'成' means become and '才' means talent, so the idea is becoming a talented person.

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 →

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

才 originally drew a sharp peg, not a sprout growing from the ground.

Open 才 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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