掌上明珠 (zhǎng shàng míng zhū) — beloved daughter; apple of one's eye (idiom)

Definition

A chengyu for the 'apple of one's eye' — literally 'a pearl in the palm,' used almost exclusively for a treasured daughter. Treated as a set phrase; the four characters travel together.

idiom
beloved daughterapple of one's eye (idiom)

Examples

  • 掌上明珠，。
    Tā zài jiā shì fù mǔ de zhǎng shàng míng zhū, cóng xiǎo bèi shòu hē hù.
    At home she is her parents' apple of the eye, pampered since childhood.
  • 掌上明珠，。
    Zhè wèi fù qīn bǎ nǚ ér dàng zuò zhǎng shàng míng zhū, cóng bú ràng tā shòu wěi qu.
    This father regards his daughter as a precious pearl; he never lets her suffer injustice.
  • 掌上明珠，。
    Tā bù jǐn shì jiā lǐ de zhǎng shàng míng zhū, yě shì quán gōng sī de míng xīng yuán gōng.
    She is not only the jewel of her family, but also a star employee at the whole company.

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.

掌上in the palm
掌zhǎngpalm上shàngon
偏正Modifier + head
明珠bright pearl
明míngbright珠zhūpearl
偏正Modifier + head

The image 掌上 means in the palm and 明珠 means a bright pearl, so it suggests a pearl held in the hand, a treasured child.

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng掌zhǎng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

It combines 手, meaning hand, with 尚, which gives it a sound close to shàng.

Open 掌 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

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

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →

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
𤣩Written in full as玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
朱
朱zhū珠zhū
Same sound today

The left side 𤣩, a form of 玉, connects the character to jade, while the right side 朱 gives the sound.

Open 珠 →

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