问鼎 (wèn dǐng) — to compete for the championship; to contend for first place; (literary) to covet the throne; to seek supreme power

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'compete for the championship' or, historically, 'covet the throne.' The first sense extends metaphorically from the second, both implying reaching the very top.

verb
to compete for the championshipto contend for first place(literary) to covet the throneto seek supreme power

Examples

  • 问鼎。
    Zhè zhī qiú duì jīn nián yǒu wàng wèn dǐng.
    This team has a chance to compete for the championship this year.
  • 问鼎，。
    Tā zài ào yùn huì shàng chéng gōng wèn dǐng, yíng dé le jīn pái.
    He successfully contended for the top spot at the Olympics and won the gold medal.
  • 。
    Lì shǐ shàng zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù rén wèn guò dǐng.
    In history, only a few people have ever sought the throne.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

问wènask
鼎dǐngtripod

“问” means inquire and “鼎” is the tripod, so it means to ask about the tripod, hence covet power.

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 問; 问 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén問wèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 問 combines 口 (mouth) with 門, which gives the sound; the simplified 问 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 问 →

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

The shape of 鼎 is a picture of an ancient bronze tripod cauldron, a vessel with three legs used for cooking or ritual.

Open 鼎 →

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