行 (xíng) — (verb) to walk; to go; (adjective) acceptable; OK; all right; (adjective) capable; competent
Definition
行 (xíng) as a verb means 'to walk/go' in general or formal speech; in casual speech 走 is far more common. As an adjective, it means 'OK / acceptable' (比 好 more about permissibility than quality) and 'capable' (similar to 能干).
verb
to walkto go
adjective
acceptableOKall rightcapablecompetent
Easily confused
Examples
- 行？Nǐ zhè yàng shuō xíng bu xíng?Is it OK to say it like that?
- 行，。Tā hěn xíng, yí dìng néng zuò hǎo.He is very capable and will surely do it well.
- 。Tā bù xíng dé hěn màn.He walks very slowly.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo 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.
Appears in
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