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诺言 (nuò yán) — promise

Definition

诺言 is the noun for a 'promise' itself (something said or made), whereas 承诺 is more often the act of promising or a formal commitment. Pairs naturally with verbs like 遵守 / 兑现 / 做出.

noun
promise

Examples

  • 诺言。
    Tā xǔ xià de nuò yán yí dìng huì duì xiàn.
    The promise he made will definitely be fulfilled.
  • 诺言。
    Bú yào qīng yì duì bié rén zuò chū nuò yán.
    Don't make promises to others lightly.
  • 诺言。
    Tā wèi le zūn shǒu nuò yán fù chū le hěn duō nǔ lì.
    She put in a lot of effort to keep her promise.

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.

诺nuòagree
言yánwords

'诺' means agreeing, and '言' means words; together they are words of agreement, a promise.

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 諾; 诺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword, speak
Sound part声符shēngfú
若
若ruò諾nuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 諾 pairs 言, meaning word or speak, with 若 as a sound part, for an affirmative answer. The simplified 诺 is a later shorthand.

Open 诺 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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