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新鲜事 (xīn xiān shì) — something new, novelty, fresh event or news

Definition

新鲜事 refers to a new or unusual event/news, often something worth talking about. It is a fixed noun phrase (新鲜 + 事), distinct from the adjective 新鲜 on its own.

noun
something newnoveltyfresh event or news

Examples

  • 新鲜事？
    Zuì jìn shēng huó zhōng yǒu méi yǒu shén me xīn xiān shì?
    Is there anything new in your life lately?
  • 新鲜事。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan fēn xiǎng shēn biān de xīn xiān shì.
    He always likes to share the new things around him.
  • 新鲜事。
    Měi tiān dōu yǒu xīn de xīn xiān shì fā shēng.
    New things happen every day.

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.

新鲜fresh/new
新xīnnew鲜xiānfresh
联合Coordinate
事shìmatter

新鲜 (fresh/new) describes 事 (matter), giving a fresh event or novelty.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

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 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
羴
羴shān鮮xiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

Open 鲜 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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