名门望族

名門望族

míngmén-wàngzú

idiom

Meanings

1 distinguished family of high standing
2 illustrious old clan

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

她出身名门望族，从小就学习琴棋书画。

Tā chūshēn míngmén-wàngzú, cóngxiǎo jiù xuéxí qínqí-shūhuà.

She comes from a distinguished family and studied music, chess, calligraphy and painting from childhood.

HSK 7-9

这座古镇历史上出过好几个名门望族，他们的老宅至今还保留着。

Zhè zuò gǔzhèn lìshǐ shàng chū guo hǎojǐ gè míngmén-wàngzú, tāmen de lǎozhái zhìjīn hái bǎoliú zhe.

Over its history this old town produced several illustrious families, and their old mansions still stand today.

Tips

usage

Formal and a little old-fashioned, common in biographies and historical novels. 望 here means prestige, as in 声望, not "to look". A well-bred daughter of such a family is a 名门闺秀.

Stroke Order

名 míng

门 mén

望 wàng

族 zú