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敬酒 (jìng jiǔ) — to toast (someone); to propose a toast and drink

Definition

A social verb: to raise one's glass and toast someone, often an elder or guest, as a sign of respect. The first half 敬 can split off (敬…酒) for the object.

verb
to toast (someone)to propose a toast and drink

Examples

  • 。
    Tā gěi dà jiā jìng le yì bēi jiǔ.
    He offered a glass of wine to everyone.
  • ，敬酒。
    Zài hūn yàn shàng, xīn láng xiàng xīn niáng jìng jiǔ.
    At the wedding banquet, the groom toasted the bride.
  • ，。
    Wǒ jìng guò sān cì jiǔ, dàn dōu méi hē wán.
    I toasted three times, but didn't finish any.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

敬jìngoffer respectfully
酒jiǔwine

敬 (offer respectfully) and 酒 (wine) describe offering wine as a toast.

Characters in this word

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

  • 茍茍jìkneeling person or sitting dog
  • 攴攴pūhand holding a stick, authority

敬 is possibly formed from 茍, a kneeling person or sitting dog, and 攴, a hand holding a stick.

Open 敬 →

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu酒jiǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →
Appears in
Chinese Culture & Customs

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