verb HSK 4
Traditional 讚美
zànměi
to praise · to admire · to commend

Meaning

赞美 means to express approval, admiration, or appreciation for someone or something. It combines 赞 (to praise) and 美 (beautiful/good), literally meaning 'to praise the beauty or goodness' of something. It's commonly used when speaking positively about people's qualities, actions, achievements, or things in nature.

Usage

赞美 is a fairly formal and sincere word, often used in written language, speeches, or respectful contexts. In casual conversation, people might use simpler words like 夸 (kuā) or 表扬 (biǎoyáng) instead. It frequently appears with objects like 赞美他人 (praise others), 赞美大自然 (praise nature), or 赞美上帝 (praise God in religious contexts).

Examples

  1. 01
    老师赞美了她在比赛中的出色表现。
    Lǎoshī zànměile zài bǐsài zhōng de chūsè biǎoxiàn.
    The teacher praised her outstanding performance in the competition.
  2. 02
    这首诗赞美了大自然的美丽和神奇。
    Zhè shǒu shī zànměile dàzìrán de měilì shénqí.
    This poem praises the beauty and wonder of nature.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 赞美上帝
    zànměi shàngdì
    to praise God
  • 赞美
    zànměishī
    hymn, song of praise
  • 赞美之词
    zànměi zhī
    words of praise
  • 值得赞美
    zhíde zànměi
    worthy of praise

Antonyms

Origin

The character 赞 originally depicted two cowrie shells (贝), representing valuable items used in tribute or praise. 美 shows a person (大) adorned with sheep features (羊), as sheep were considered beautiful in ancient agricultural society.

Related