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行之有效 (xíng zhī yǒu xiào) — effective in practice

Definition

idiom
effective in practice

Examples

  • 行之有效。
    Zhè ge bàn fǎ xíng zhī yǒu xiào.
    This method is effective in practice.
  • ，行之有效。
    Jīng guò duō cì shì yàn, wǒ men zhǎo dào le yì zhǒng xíng zhī yǒu xiào de fāng fǎ.
    After many experiments, we found a method that works in practice.
  • 行之有效。
    Zhè zhǒng cè lüè zài shì chǎng shàng bèi zhèng míng shì xíng zhī yǒu xiào de.
    This strategy has been proven effective in the market.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

行之practice it
行xíngpractice之zhīit
动宾Verb + object
有效have effect
有yǒuhave效xiàoeffect
动宾Verb + object

行之 means practice it and 有效 means have effect, so the idiom says that practicing something brings results.

Characters in this word

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūto strike; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo效xiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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