苦行僧 (kǔ xíng sēng) — ascetic monk (religious practitioner who practices self-denial); (figurative) someone who lives a very frugal or self-denying lifestyle

Definition

A monk who practices severe self-denial (fasting, austerity). Often used figuratively for anyone living an extremely frugal, self-disciplined lifestyle.

noun
ascetic monk (religious practitioner who practices self-denial)(figurative) someone who lives a very frugal or self-denying lifestyle
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 苦行僧，。
    Zhè ge hé shàng shì yí wèi zhēn zhèng de kǔ xíng sēng, měi tiān dōu zhī chī yí dùn fàn.
    This monk is a true ascetic monk, eating only one meal a day.
  • ，著苦行僧。
    Wèi le shěng qián, tā guò zhù kǔ xíng sēng yí yàng de shēng huó.
    To save money, he lives like an ascetic monk.
  • ，苦行僧。
    Yùn dòng yuán wèi le bǐ sài, jiǎn zhí chéng le kǔ xíng sēng.
    The athlete practically became an ascetic monk for the competition.

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.

苦行ascetic practice
苦kǔhard行xíngpractice
偏正Modifier + head
僧sēngmonk

苦行 is a hard ascetic practice, and 僧 is the monk who follows it.

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Open 苦 →

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 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
曾
曾céng僧sēng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left 亻 shows a person, and the right 曾 supplies the sound, so 僧 marks a kind of person.

Open 僧 →

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