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独行侠 (dú xíng xiá) — lone chivalrous person

Definition

A person who works or fights for justice completely on their own, with no team or backing. Borrowed from wuxia fiction but used figuratively today for any fiercely independent doer.

noun
lone chivalrous person
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 独行侠，。
    Tā jiù xiàng xiǎo shuō lǐ de dú xíng xiá, dú zì yì rén xíng xiá zhàng yì.
    He is like a lone chivalrous person in the novel, acting alone to uphold justice.
  • 独行侠。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yí wèi dú xíng xiá de chuán qí gù shi.
    This movie tells the legendary story of a lone chivalrous person.
  • ，独行侠。
    Zài xiàn dài shè huì, dú xíng xiá de jīng shén yī rán zhí dé jìng pèi.
    In modern society, the spirit of the lone chivalrous person is still admirable.

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.

独行walking alone
独dúalone行xínggo
偏正Modifier + head
侠xiáchivalrous person

独行 describes walking alone, and 侠 names a chivalrous person, so the sense is a lone hero.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 侠 →
Appears in
People (General)

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