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虔诚 (qián chéng) — pious, devout

Definition

Used almost only for religious devotion — a pious believer or prayer. Compared with 真诚 and 诚恳 (sincerity toward people), 虔诚 is reserved for faith and worship.

adjective
piousdevout
Easily confused

Examples

  • 虔诚。
    Tā shì yí wèi qián chéng de jī dū tú.
    He is a devout Christian.
  • ，虔诚。
    Tā měi tiān qí dǎo, tài dù fēi cháng qián chéng.
    She prays every day and has a very pious attitude.
  • 虔诚。
    Zhè zhǒng qián chéng de xìn yǎng ràng tā nèi xīn píng jìng.
    This devout faith brings him inner peace.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

虔qiánreverent
诚chéngsincere

虔 and 诚 both carry reverence and sincerity, together describing deep devotion.

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
虍虍hū
Sound part声符shēngfú
文
文wén虔qián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

虔 pairs 虍 and 文. One account treats 文 as the sound part and 虍 as the meaning part; another treats 虍 as the sound part.

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 誠; 诚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng誠chéng
Same sound today

In 誠, 言 is the speech part and 成 gives the sound; this is about the traditional form 誠, not the simplified 诚.

Open 诚 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Religion & Belief

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