Chinese word

继承

Pronunciation

Pinyinjì chéng

Meaning

  • verbinherit

Example

孩子继承了妈妈的笑容。hái zi jì chéng le mā mā de xiào róng

The child inherited their mother's smile.

Illustration for 继承 (inherit)

More examples

他继承了祖父的遗产。tā jì chéng le zǔ fù de yí chǎn

He inherited his grandfather's estate.

Core concept

Carry forward what an earlier generation leaves behind, including its value, rights, and continuing role.

Common phrases

  • 继承遗产jì chéng yí chǎn

    inherit an estate

  • 继承财产jì chéng cái chǎn

    inherit property

  • 继承传统jì chéng chuán tǒng

    carry on a tradition

Similar words

传承chuán chéng: Keep culture, skills, and customs alive by passing them on to later generations.
遗传yí chuán: Transmit inherited physical or personality features from parents to their children through genes.
承受chéng shòu: Bear a weight, responsibility, or loss that comes from outside.
接受jiē shòu: Receive and accept something offered by another person, such as an object or view.

Definition in Chinese

接受并承担前人留给自己的财产、权利或精神财富，使其继续存在。jiē shòu bìng chéng dān qián rén liú gěi zì jǐ de cái chǎn quán lì huò jīng shén cái fù shǐ qí jì xù cún zài

Word origin

继 (jì, "continue") + 承 (chéng, "receive and take on") joins continuation with acceptance of what an earlier generation passes down.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the object can be a tradition, responsibility, or way of thinking, so the word is not limited to a legal estate.

Other meanings

  • succeed toverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 继承人jì chéng rénheirnoun
  • 继承权jì chéng quánright of inheritancenoun
  • 继承制度jì chéng zhì dùinheritance systemnoun

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