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谦逊 (qiān xùn) — humble, modest, unpretentious

Definition

谦逊 is a formal, written adjective for genuine personal humility — stronger and more literary than 谦虚 ('modest' in self-deprecation). Unlike 卑微, it carries no sense of low status or servility.

adjective
humblemodestunpretentious

Examples

  • 谦逊，。
    Tā shì yí wèi fēi cháng qiān xùn de xué zhě, cóng bú xuàn yào zì jǐ de chéng jiù.
    He is a very humble scholar who never flaunts his achievements.
  • 谦逊。
    qiān xùn De tài dù néng ràng nǐ xué dào gèng duō dōng xī.
    A modest attitude can help you learn more.
  • 谦逊，。
    Tā zài lǐng jiǎng shí biǎo xiàn dé shí fēn qiān xùn, bǎ gōng láo dōu guī gěi le tuán duì.
    He was very modest when receiving the award, giving all the credit to the team.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

谦qiānmodest
逊xùnhumble; modest

谦 and 逊 both mean modest or unassuming, together describing humility.

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 謙; 谦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
兼
兼jiān謙qiān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 謙 combines 言 (speech) with 兼 as a sound part; the simplified 谦 is a shorthand.

Open 谦 →

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 遜; 逊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
孫
孫sūn遜xùn
Same sound today

The traditional form 遜 pairs 辵 (to walk) with 孫, a part used for the sound. The simplified 逊 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 逊 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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