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格言 (gé yán) — a maxim, motto, or aphorism; a wise saying

Definition

noun
a maximmottoor aphorisma wise saying

Examples

  • 格言。
    Zhè jù gé yán chū zì kǒng zǐ.
    This maxim comes from Confucius.
  • 格言。
    Tā xǐ huan shōu jí gǔ dài gé yán.
    He likes collecting ancient maxims.
  • 格言。
    Zhè tiáo gé yán gào sù wǒ men zuò rén de dào lǐ.
    This maxim teaches us the principles of being a good person.

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.

格géstandard
言yánwords

格 suggests a standard or rule, and 言 means words, so 格言 is a saying that serves as a standard.

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè格gé
Same sound today

格 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 各 on the right, which gives the sound.

Open 格 →

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

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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