Chinese word

懂事

Pronunciation

Pinyindǒng shì

Meaning

  • adjectivesensible

Example

她对父母很懂事，从不让他们担心。tā duì fù mǔ hěn dǒng shì cóng bú ràng tā men dān xīn

She is very sensible when dealing with her parents and never makes them worry.

Illustration for 懂事 (sensible)

More examples

他在外面表现得很懂事，因此赢得了老师的信任。tā zài wài miàn biǎo xiàn de hěn dǒng shì yīn cǐ yíng dé le lǎo shī de xìn rèn

He behaves very sensibly when he is out, so he has won his teacher's trust.

Core concept

A person who understands social limits and considers other people's worries before acting.

Common phrases

  • 特别懂事tè bié dǒng shì

    particularly sensible

  • 比别人更懂事bǐ bié rén gèng dǒng shì

    more sensible than others

Similar words

体贴tǐ tiē: Considerate of other people's feelings, comfort, and needs.
有分寸yǒu fēn cùn: Keeping to proper limits and behaving suitably for the situation.
成熟chéng shú: Showing an adult-like calmness and good judgment instead of acting rashly.

Definition in Chinese

形容人行为有分寸、顾及他人、不做出让别人担心或为难的事情。xíng róng rén xíng wéi yǒu fēn cùn gù jí tā rén bú zuò chū ràng bié rén dān xīn huò wéi nán de shì qíng

Word origin

懂事 (dǒngshì, "knowing how to handle things") combines 懂 (dǒng, "understand") + 事 (shì, "matter"), extending from understanding matters to knowing how to conduct oneself.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, this is warm praise when discussing a child or younger person, but it can also describe an adult whose conduct is thoughtful.

Other meanings

  • matureadjective
  • considerateadjective

Opposites

  • 不成熟bù chéng shúnot matureadjective
  • 幼稚yòu zhìchildishadjective

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