Chinese word

尊严

Pronunciation

Pinyinzūn yán

Meaning

  • noundignity

Example

请尊重我的尊严。qǐng zūn zhòng wǒ de zūn yán

Please respect my dignity.

Illustration for 尊严 (dignity)

More examples

为了守住自己的尊严，他拒绝了那笔交易。wèi le shǒu zhù zì jǐ de zūn yán tā jù jué le nà bǐ jiāo yì

To preserve his dignity, he refused that deal.

Core concept

The protected worth of a person or group, standing against treatment that humiliates or degrades.

Common phrases

  • 捍卫尊严hàn wèi zūn yán

    defend one's dignity

  • 失去尊严shī qù zūn yán

    lose one's dignity

  • 侵犯尊严qīn fàn zūn yán

    violate one's dignity

Similar words

面子miàn zi: The pride a person wants to preserve in front of other people.
名誉míng yù: The good name and respected position that society recognizes.
自尊心zì zūn xīn: A person's inner sense of worth and pride in the self.

Definition in Chinese

应当受到尊重和庄重对待的价值，指个人或集体不该被侮辱、轻视或践踏的体面。yīng dāng shòu dào zūn zhòng hé zhuāng zhòng duì dài de jià zhí zhǐ gè rén huò jí tǐ bù gāi bèi wú rǔ qīng shì huò jiàn tà de tǐ miàn

Word origin

尊严 (zūnyán, "dignity") combines 尊 (zūn, "to honor") with 严 (yán, "serious"), giving the idea of worth that deserves serious respect.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this term can make a complaint sound principled and serious, so a speaker may choose a specific description of the offending behavior when a less weighty tone is needed.

Opposites

Related words

  • 尊严感zūn yán gǎnsense of dignitynoun

Word lists with this word