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贞节 (zhēn jiē) — chastity and virginity (of women); moral integrity (of men)

Definition

A classical, formal term for sexual/moral purity, applied historically to women (chastity) and men's uprightness. Carries strong traditional Confucian overtones and appears mainly in literary or historical contexts.

noun
chastity and virginity (of women)moral integrity (of men)

Examples

  • ，贞节。
    Zài gǔ dài, nǚ xìng de zhēn jiē bèi shì wéi zuì zhòng yào de pǐn dé zhī yī.
    In ancient times, women's chastity was regarded as one of the most important virtues.
  • 贞节，。
    Tā yì shēng jiān shǒu zhēn jiē, cóng bú zuò wéi bèi liáng xīn de shì.
    He adhered to moral integrity throughout his life, never doing anything against his conscience.
  • 贞节。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le yí wèi wèi zhēn jiē ér xī shēng de fù nǚ.
    This novel depicts a woman who sacrificed herself for chastity.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

贞zhēnchaste
节jiéintegrity

贞 and 节 both denote steadfast moral purity, so together they mean chastity or integrity.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貞; 贞 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 貞 grew from a picture of a ding tripod, later changed for divination, and its lower part became unrelated to that picture; the simplified 贞 is a shorthand.

Open 贞 →

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 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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