镀金 (dù jīn) — (literal) to gold-plate; (figurative) to gild;…

Definition

Literally 'gold-plate', but figuratively means adding a flashy but hollow credential to oneself — gilding rather than gaining real substance.

verb

(literal) to gold-plate(figurative) to gildto acquire a superficial prestigious credential

镀金，。
Zhè kuài biǎo shì dù jīn de, bú shì chún jīn de.
This watch is gold-plated, not solid gold.
。
Tā zài jiè zhi shàng dù le yī céng jīn.
He gold-plated a layer on the ring.
镀金，。
Tā qù guó wài liú xué zhǐ shì wèi le dù jīn, bìng méi yǒu xué dào zhēn běn shì.
He went abroad to study just to gild his resume; he didn't really learn any real skills.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

镀dùto plate

镀 (to plate) and 金 (gold) together give the action of covering something with gold.

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 鍍; 镀 is its simplified writing.

金度鍍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

度

Same sound today

The traditional form 鍍 pairs 金 (metal) with 度 as a sound part; the simplified 镀 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.