zūn
verb #5,486

Meanings

  1. 1 to honor; to respect
  2. 2 senior; venerable

Examples

Wǒmen yīnggāi zūnzhòng biéren de yìjiàn.
We should respect other people's opinions.
Tā shì yī wèi lìngrén zūnjìng de lǎoshī.
He is a respected teacher.
Zhè zūn fóxiàng hěn gǔlǎo.
This Buddha statue is very old.

Tips

usage
appears in 尊重 (zūnzhòng, to respect), 尊敬 (zūnjìng, to revere), 尊严 (zūnyán, dignity). Also a measure word for statues and cannons: 佛像.

Components

radical
cùn
inch; hand
at the bottom — the indexing radical. Pictures a hand with a pulse-mark just below the wrist; in compounds it stylises a respectful, measured hand-gesture. Here it is the hand presenting the wine-vessel above, completing the picture of a ceremonial offering. Same radical heads , , and similar formality-tinged characters.
semantic
qiú
wine vessel; chieftain
on top — pictures a wine-jar () with vapors rising from the rim, an aged ceremonial vessel. Together with the hand below, the character paints both hands raising a wine-jar in a ritual offering — the original meaning of . From that gesture of reverence came every modern sense: 尊敬 (respect), 尊重 (esteem), 尊严 (dignity).

Stroke Order

zūn