送终 (sòng zhōng) — to attend to a dying parent or elder; to pay one's last respects (as a filial duty)

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to be present at a parent's or elder's deathbed — framed as a filial duty in Chinese tradition. Conceptually linked to 孝顺 (filial piety): 送终 is the final act of 孝顺.

verb
to attend to a dying parent or elderto pay one's last respects (as a filial duty)

Examples

  • 送终。
    Tā lián yè gǎn huí lǎo jiā qù gěi fù qīn sòng zhōng.
    He rushed back to his hometown overnight to attend to his dying father.
  • ，。
    Tā zhōng yú wèi mǔ qīn sòng le zhōng, xīn lǐ jì bēi shāng yòu tā shi.
    She finally accompanied her mother through her final moments, feeling both sorrow and a sense of peace.
  • ，送终。
    Àn zhào chuán tǒng, zǐ nǚ yīng gāi wèi fù mǔ sòng zhōng.
    According to tradition, children should attend to their parents in their final moments.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

送sòngsend
终zhōngend

送 send and 终 end combine to refer to attending a dying elder.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
灷
灷zhuàn送sòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

送 combines 辶, the walking radical, with 灷, which supplies the sound; the walking part fits meanings like see off or deliver.

Open 送 →

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 終; 终 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
冬
冬dōng終zhōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 終 pairs 糸 (a cord) with 冬 as a sound part; the simplified 终 is a later shorthand. An older form showed a knot at the end of a cord.

Open 终 →

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