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节省 (jié shěng) — to save, to economize; to use sparingly, to cut down on

Definition

节省 is a verb meaning 'to save / economize' on resources like money, time, or materials. It pairs more naturally with concrete resources than 节约, which leans toward formal/policy contexts of conservation.

verb
to saveto economizeto use sparinglyto cut down on

Examples

  • 节省。
    Wǒ men yīng dāng jié shěng měi yì fēn qián.
    We should save every penny.
  • 节省。
    Zhè zhǒng xīn fāng fǎ kě yǐ jié shěng bù shǎo yuán cái liào.
    This new method can save a lot of raw materials.
  • 节省，。
    Wèi le jié shěng shí jiān, tā jué dìng zuò fēi jī qù.
    To save time, he decided to go by plane.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

节jiéeconomize
省shěngsave

'节' and '省' both mean to economize, so together they mean to save or use sparingly.

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 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The upper part of 省 is a changed form of 生, which gave the sound, while the lower 目 is an eye; the picture showed looking closely or inspecting.

Open 省 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Money & Currency

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