Loyalty is a very admirable character trait and an important one in many different kinds of relationships. This Chinese character忠(zhōng) means ‘faithfulness’. Our word of this week is忠 – ‘faithful/ loyalty.’
Pronunciation
忠 is pronounced zhōng.
Meaning
The character 忠(zhōng) was first seen in the Oracle bone script in Shang Dynasty. Its meaning is ‘faithful’ or ‘loyalty’.
The top portion, 中 (zhōng), can take on many meanings, but in this case, it means middle.
The lower half of the character 心 (xīn), means heart. Loyalty and faithfulness are strongly connected to the heart 心 (xīn). It is quite possible that loyalty is one of the most important traits in any kind of relationship whether familial, romantic or professional.
Example
忠肝义胆(zhōng gān yì dǎn)
Literally: faithful liver and righteous gallbladder. Meaning: having good faith, virtue and patriotism.
赤胆忠心 (chì dǎn zhōng xīn)
Literally: red-bellied devotion . Meaning: to serve somebody with body and soul.
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