歌颂 (gē sòng) — to sing the praises of; to extol; to eulogize | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, literary verb: to extol or eulogize, typically a country, era, or great figure in writing, song, or art. Much weightier and more elevated than 表扬 or 夸奖, which praise a person's specific action in daily life.

verb

to sing the praises ofto extolto eulogize

Examples

歌颂。
Wǒ men gē sòng zǔ guó de fán róng chāng shèng.
We sing the praises of our country's prosperity.
歌颂。
Zhè shǒu gē gē sòng le láo dòng rén mín de lì liàng.
This song extols the strength of the working people.
歌颂。
Shī rén yòng shī gē gē sòng dà zì rán de měi lì.
The poet uses poetry to eulogize the beauty of nature.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

歌 (sing) and 颂 (praise) combine to mean singing the praises of.

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.

哥欠歌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

欠欠qiànblow

Sound part声符shēngfú

哥

哥gē歌gē

Same sound today

The shape 歌 uses 哥 for the sound and 欠, meaning blow. It came from a form of 哥 used for singing.

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 頌; 颂 is its simplified writing.

公頁頌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

公

公gōng頌sòng

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

The traditional form 頌 pairs 公 for the sound with 頁, meaning head.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.