Kilo Lingo

(fā shì) - swear an oath, vow in Mandarin

shì

Traditional: 發誓

Line drawing of 发誓
Coloured illustration of 发誓
HSK 5
#861 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

swear an oath, vow

Word origin

A compound of 发 (fa) 'to issue, to send out' and 誓 (shi) 'oath, vow'. The character 誓 carries 言 (speech) below 折, and the word means 'to make an oath'.

Origin
compound
Root
发 (fa, 'to issue') + 誓 (shi, 'oath', with 言 'speech')

Stroke order

Stroke order for 发

Stroke order for 誓

Examples

I swear I won't tell.

He vowed to succeed.

She swore to love him for life.

I swear I will never lie again.

He swore he would look after his family.

发誓 (fā shì) means swear an oath, vow. It is used as a verb in everyday Mandarin speech.

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This word is part of lesson 18.