赞赏

• Pinyin: zàn shǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 赞 = 兟 (advance) + 贝 (shell/value), to praise; 赏 = 尚 (esteem) + 贝 (shell/value), to appreciate or reward

Meaning

To admire; to appreciate; to praise; to hold in high esteem. To express genuine positive recognition of someone's qualities or actions.

More elevated than 称赞 (to praise), 赞赏 implies deep admiration. It can be used for appreciating talent, courage, character, or creative work. 深感赞赏 means to deeply admire. Often appears in formal speeches, letters, and written evaluations.

Examples

1. 老师对她这篇作文给予了高度赞赏，说她有很强的写作才华。 The teacher gave high praise to her essay, saying she has a very strong talent for writing.
2. 他的无私奉献精神让周围所有认识他的人都十分赞赏。 His selfless dedication has earned the deep admiration of everyone around him who knows him.
3. 导演十分赞赏这位年轻演员的专业表现，决定给他安排更重要的角色。 The director greatly admired this young actor's professional performance and decided to give him a more important role.

Usage Guide

Context: professional, academic, arts

Tone: appreciative

Do Say

• 我非常赞赏他在这次危机中表现出来的冷静和领导力。(I deeply admire the composure and leadership he demonstrated during this crisis.)
• 这幅画令人赞赏，构图和用色都非常出色。(This painting is admirable — both its composition and use of colour are exceptional.)

Don't Say

• 将'赞赏'用于描述对普通事情的普通满意 (Don't use 赞赏 for ordinary or minor satisfaction — it implies genuine, deep admiration; use 满意 or 不错 for everyday positive responses)

Origin & History

A compound of 赞 (to praise/support; 兟 + 贝, conveying the idea of adding value through words) and 赏 (to appreciate/reward; 尚 esteem + 贝 shell/value, to value and reward something). Together they mean to actively appreciate and praise what one finds admirable.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal