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扬名 (yáng míng) — to become famous, to make a name for oneself

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning to become famous or make a name for oneself, often through a notable achievement. Pairs with 扬名立万 (立业) in classical style; not used for everyday casual fame.

verb
to become famousto make a name for oneself

Examples

  • ，扬名。
    Tā nǔ lì duō nián, zhōng yú yáng míng le.
    After years of effort, he finally became famous.
  • ，。
    Tā yáng le yí cì míng, dàn hěn kuài jiù bèi rén wàng le.
    He made a name once, but was soon forgotten.
  • 扬名。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng ràng tā zài guó jì yǐng tán yáng míng.
    This film made him famous in the international film scene.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

扬yángspread
名míngname

扬 (spread) and 名 (name) combine: spreading one's name makes it famous.

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 揚; 扬 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng揚
Same sound today

The traditional form 揚 uses 手 to show a hand-related action and 昜 to give the sound; the simplified 扬 is a later abbreviation.

Open 扬 →

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →
Appears in
Success & Failure

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