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Strokes of genius 承
THE oracle bone script of “承 chéng” consists of two vertical parts: a person kneeling down on top and two hands lifting at the bottom. It goes without saying that this associative character has the meaning of “hold with both hands, support, bear.”
That original meaning of “承 chéng” is often used in the construction industry like “承重墙chéngzhòng qiáng” (load-bearing wall). More common, however, “承 chéng” is used in an abstract way such as “承受” for “receive, endure.” That’s the word occurring in 《生命不能承受之轻》 “Shhēngmìng Bù Néng Chéngshòu Zhī Qīng,” the Chinese title of Milan Kundera’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”
One further meaning of “承 chéng” is “bear, undertake” exactly the same as the verb “承担 chéng dān,” normally followed by nouns like “义务 yìwù” (obligation) or “责任 zérèn” (responsibility). Here are more examples of the verbs containing “承 chéng” in the meaning of undertaking certain businesses or services.
承办活动 chéngbàn huódòng
Sponsor an activity/campaign
承印名片 chéngyìn míngpiàn
Undertake the printing of business cards
承建工程 chéngjiàn gōngchéng
Undertake the construction of an engineering project
承运货物 chéngyùn huòwù
provide cargo transport service
“承认 chéng rèn” and “承诺 chéng nuò” are two more related common words. The former means “admit, acknowledge, recognize,” while the latter is the formal synonym for “答应 dāying” (agree to do, promise) as a verb, or more often, it means “promise, commitment” as a noun. For instance:
承认错误 chéngrèn cuòwù
Acknowledge one’s fault
承认学位 chéngrèn xuéwèi
Recognize one’s degree
信守承诺 xìnshǒu chéngnuò
Keep the promise
违背承诺 wéibèi chéngnuò
Break the promise
Moreover, “承 chéng” also means “continue, carry on” as in the verb “继承 jìchéng” (inherit, carry forward). Logically, “继承人 jìchéngrén” should be the “heir, inheritor.”
(For more tips, please contact Emma Ding via info@emmalanguagestudio.com.)
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