鉴赏 (jiàn shǎng) — to appreciate (as a connoisseur), to judge and appreciate (art, antiques, etc.)

Definition

鉴赏 (jiàn shǎng) means to judge and appreciate art or antiques with expert eyes — more formal and connoisseur-like than 欣赏 (just enjoy). Pairs with objects of real value: paintings, artifacts, music.

verb
to appreciate (as a connoisseur)to judge and appreciate (art, antiques, etc.)

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā shì yí wèi jiàn shǎng jiā, duì gǔ dài cí qì hěn yǒu yán jiū.
    He is a connoisseur who has deep knowledge of ancient porcelain.
  • 鉴赏。
    Zhè fú huà xū yào zǐ xì jiàn shǎng cái néng kàn chū qí zhōng de miào chù.
    This painting needs careful appreciation to see the subtlety in it.
  • 鉴赏。
    Wǒ jīng cháng qù bó wù guǎn jiàn shǎng gǔ dài wén wù.
    I often go to the museum to appreciate ancient artifacts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

鉴jiànappraise
赏shǎngenjoy

鉴 “appraise” and 赏 “enjoy” combine to mean appreciate something as a connoisseur.

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 鑑; 鉴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān鑑jiàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鑑 pairs 金, showing metal, with 監 for sound; the simplified 鉴 is a later abbreviation, not the source of this shape.

Open 鉴 →

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 賞; 赏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
商
商shāng賞shǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 賞 pairs 商 for sound with 貝, a cowry shell; the simplified 赏 is a shorthand.

Open 赏 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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