TongTong
Sign in

珍重 (zhēn zhòng) — to treasure, to cherish (a relationship, friendship, etc.); (polite, when parting) to take good care of oneself

Definition

珍重 is a verb for cherishing relationships (珍) or telling someone to take care when parting (重). For parting, 保重 is the more common everyday phrase; 珍重 sounds more formal and literary.

verb
to treasureto cherish (a relationship, friendship, etc.)(polite, when parting) to take good care of oneself

Examples

  • 珍重。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi zhēn zhòng zhè fèn nán dé de yǒu yì.
    We should treasure this hard-won friendship.
  • ，珍重。
    Lí bié shí, péng you hù dào zhēn zhòng.
    When parting, friends say 'take care' to each other.
  • 珍重，。
    Qǐng nín duō zhēn zhòng shēn tǐ, lù shang xiǎo xīn.
    Please take good care of your health, and be careful on the road.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

珍zhēntreasure
重zhòngvalue

珍 and 重 both carry the sense of valuing something, together expressing cherishing or careful regard.

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
玉玉yù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐱
㐱㐱珍
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

珍 pairs 玉, a jade or gem, with 㐱, which gives the sound; the 玉 part fits its early meaning of a rich gemstone.

Open 珍 →

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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