欣赏 (xīn shǎng) — to appreciate, to enjoy, to admire | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

欣赏 covers both enjoying something beautiful (music, scenery) and admiring a person's qualities — broader and more personal than 鉴赏, which is the connoisseur's expert judgment of art or antiques.

verb

to appreciateto enjoyto admire

Examples

欣赏。
Wǒ tè bié xǐ huan xīn shǎng gǔ diǎn yīn yuè.
I especially enjoy listening to classical music.
欣赏。
Zài gōng yuán lǐ xīn shǎng fēng jǐng ràng rén fàng sōng.
Appreciating the scenery in the park is relaxing.
欣赏。
Tā xīn shǎng zhè bù diàn yǐng de nèi róng.
He admires the content of this movie.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

欣xīndelight

赏shǎngadmire

欣 and 赏 both express taking pleasure in something, so together they mean to appreciate or enjoy.

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.

斤欠欣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

斤

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

欣 combines 斤, which hints at the sound, with 欠, which carries the meaning.

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 賞; 赏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowry

Sound part声符shēngfú

商

商shāng賞shǎng

Same sound today

The traditional form 賞 pairs 商 for sound with 貝, a cowry shell; the simplified 赏 is a shorthand.

Appears in

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