(zūn jìng) - to respect, to revere; respected in Mandarin

zūnjìng

Traditional: 尊敬

HSK 5
#2,533 of 2,700Core 5000

Translation

to respect, to revere; respected

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Word origin

A compound of two near-synonyms, 尊 (zūn, to honour, originally a ritual wine vessel held up in both hands) and 敬 (jìng, to revere).

Origin
compound
Root
尊 (zūn, to honour) + 敬 (jìng, to revere)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 尊

尊

Stroke order for 敬

敬

Examples

。

The students all hold this teacher in great respect.

。

He is a doctor whom people respect.

宾bīn,。

Distinguished guests, you are most welcome.

。

We ought to show respect to the elderly.

。

The way she speaks earns respect.

尊敬 (zūn jìng) is respect that looks upward. It is what a student feels for a teacher, a child for a grandparent, a country for a doctor who worked through an epidemic. There is deference baked into it.

Its formal use is as an address: 尊敬的 at the head of a letter or a speech is the Chinese equivalent of Dear Sir or Madam, and 受人尊敬的 in front of a job title means widely respected.

Keep it apart from 尊重. 尊重 is respect between equals, the kind you give to somebody's choice or privacy, and it is the word you want in 尊重她的决定. Using 尊敬 there implies you look up to her as a superior, which is rarely what a learner means.

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Mandarin · Free printables

尊敬: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "尊敬" (to respect, to revere; respected): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is taught in chapter 28, lesson 4: 尊敬, 保重 and 8 more words.