Chinese word

神圣

Pronunciation

Pinyinshén shèng

Meaning

  • adjectivesacred

Example

这座寺庙对我们很神圣。zhè zuò sì miào duì wǒ men hěn shén shèng

This temple is very sacred to us.

Illustration for 神圣 (sacred)

More examples

人民把国旗看作神圣的象征。rén mín bǎ guó qí kàn zuò shén shèng de xiàng zhēng

The people regard the national flag as a sacred symbol.

Core concept

A quality that places a person, place, belief, or duty above ordinary treatment and calls for awe and respect.

Common phrases

  • 神圣的使命shén shèng de shǐ mìng

    sacred mission

  • 神圣的权利shén shèng de quán lì

    sacred right

  • 神圣的职责shén shèng de zhí zé

    sacred duty

Similar words

圣洁shèng jié: Pure and free from moral or religious stain.
庄严zhuāng yán: Creating a calm, solemn, and serious feeling in a place or ceremony.
崇高chóng gāo: Rising above the ordinary through noble ideals or actions that inspire deep respect.

Definition in Chinese

表示在情感上引起敬畏与尊重，具有庄重且不可轻视的性质。biǎo shì zài qíng gǎn shàng yín qǐ jìng wèi yǔ zūn zhòng jù yǒu zhuāng zhòng qiě bù kě qīng shì de xìng zhì

Word origin

神 (shén, "deity") + 圣 (shèng, "holy") forms a compound for something set apart as holy, extending naturally to anything treated with solemn reverence.

Usage tips

  • In casual conversation, applying this adjective to a routine object can create a deliberately grand or joking tone, unlike its solemn use for beliefs, promises, or places.

Other meanings

  • reveredadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 神圣化shén shèng huàsanctifyverb
  • 神圣性shén shèng xìngsacrednessnoun

Word lists with this word