荣华 (róng huá) — glory and splendor; wealth and honor (often in the set phrase 荣华富贵)

Definition

Literary/elevated word for worldly glory and wealth, almost always paired with 富贵 (as 荣华富贵) to mean 'wealth and honor'. Use it in formal or literary prose; in everyday speech 钱 or 发财 is more natural.

noun
glory and splendorwealth and honor (often in the set phrase 荣华富贵)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā yì shēng zhuī qiú róng huá fù guì.
    He spent his whole life pursuing wealth and honor.
  • 荣华，。
    Hěn duō rén tān tú róng huá, què hū lüè le píng fán de xìng fú.
    Many people covet glory and splendor but overlook ordinary happiness.
  • 荣华，。
    Tā bú xiàn mù róng huá, zhī xiǎng guò ān jìng de shēng huó.
    He doesn't envy glory and splendor; he just wants to live a quiet life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

荣róngflourishing
华huásplendor

荣 and 华 both suggest flourishing brilliance, so together they mean glory and splendor.

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 榮; 荣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
熒
熒yíng榮róng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 榮 pairs 木, a tree/wood part, with 熒 (yíng) as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 荣 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 荣 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 華; 华 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 華 showed flowers on a plant, with stalk and leaves below. The simplified 华 is a later shorthand and not the original picture.

Open 华 →

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