赏

• Pinyin: shǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 赏 = 尚 (esteem, value) + 贝 (shell/money) — to value and reward, extended to appreciating beauty

Meaning

To appreciate; to enjoy; to admire; to reward. Used for enjoying beauty or bestowing a reward.

Two main meanings: (1) to appreciate beauty — 赏花 (admire flowers), 赏月 (admire the moon), 欣赏 (appreciate); (2) to reward or bestow — 赏金 (reward money), 悬赏 (offer a bounty). The appreciative meaning is more common in everyday usage.

Examples

1. 中秋节的时候，一家人一起赏月。 During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family admires the moon together.
2. 春天到了，很多人去公园赏花。 Spring has arrived and many people go to the park to admire the flowers.
3. 这幅画值得我们好好赏一赏。 This painting is well worth taking the time to appreciate.

Usage Guide

Context: festivals, nature, art

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 我们一起去赏花吧！(Let's go admire the flowers together!)
• 请大家赏脸来参加我的生日会。(Please do me the honour of attending my birthday party.)

Don't Say

• 我赏了一部电影 meaning 'I watched a movie' (赏 implies aesthetic appreciation of natural beauty or art — for watching movies, use 看 or 欣赏)

Origin & History

Combines 尚 (esteem) and 贝 (shell/money) — originally meant bestowing money as a reward; the appreciation meaning developed later.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal