成立

• Pinyin: chéng lì
• Hanzi breakdown: 成 = meaning to accomplish or complete; 立 = pictograph of a person standing on the ground, meaning to stand or establish

Meaning

To establish; to found; to set up. Used when an organisation, company, or group is officially created.

Refers to the formal creation of institutions, companies, organisations, or countries. Also used in logic to mean 'to hold true' or 'to be valid' (这个理论不成立, this theory doesn't hold). Common in news and formal contexts.

Examples

1. 这家公司是2010年成立的。 This company was established in 2010.
2. 学校成立了一个新的社团。 The school set up a new club.
3. 中华人民共和国于1949年成立。 The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

Usage Guide

Context: business, government, organisations

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他们决定成立一个志愿者团队。(They decided to establish a volunteer team.)
• 这个组织成立已经有五十年了。(This organisation was established fifty years ago.)

Don't Say

• 成立了一个朋友 (Don't use 成立 for personal relationships — it applies to organisations and institutions; say 交了一个朋友 for making a friend)

Origin & History

Compound of 成 (to accomplish, to complete) and 立 (to stand, to establish), together meaning to formally set up or bring into existence.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal