承 (chéng) — to bear, to carry, to hold; to undertake, to contract, to assume; to continue, to carry on, to inherit
Definition
承 is a bound form meaning 'to bear / undertake / inherit' — it only appears in compounds like 承认, 承担, 继承, never alone. Think of it as the shared root that links "admit," "take on," and "carry on."
bound form
to bearto carryto holdto undertaketo contractto assumeto continueto carry onto inherit
Examples
- 。Tā chéng rèn zì jǐ fàn le cuò wù.He admitted that he had made a mistake.
- 。Wǒ chéng dān le zhè ge xiàng mù de zhǔ yào gōng zuò.I undertook the main work of this project.
- 。Tā jì chéng le zǔ fù de yí chǎn.He inherited his grandfather's estate.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 卩卩jiékneeling person
- 廾廾gǒngboth hands
承 combines 卩, a kneeling person, and 廾, both hands, to show holding or carrying.
Appears in
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