声誉

• Pinyin: shēng yù
• Hanzi breakdown: 声 = 士 + 耳 (reputation, sound); 誉 = 兴 + 言 (honour, praise, reputation)

Meaning

Reputation; renown — the overall estimation in which a person, institution, or product is held by the public.

Closely related to 声望 but more neutral and wide-ranging: it can be positive or negative (破坏声誉 = damage one's reputation). Used extensively in business, legal, and academic contexts. Common collocations: 维护声誉 (protect reputation), 声誉受损 (reputation damaged), 国际声誉 (international reputation).

Examples

1. 一次严重的产品质量事故足以在短时间内彻底摧毁一家企业数十年积累的声誉。 A serious product-quality incident can completely destroy a company’s decades-long reputation in a short time.
2. 这所大学凭借出色的毕业生就业率和突出的科研成果，在全球高校中享有良好的声誉。 With an excellent graduate employment rate and standout research results, the university enjoys a strong reputation among universities worldwide.
3. 律师事务所将维护客户隐私视为重中之重，以确保自身长期积累的专业声誉不受损害。 The law firm treats protecting client privacy as a top priority to ensure its long-established professional reputation isn’t damaged.

Usage Guide

Context: business, academia, legal, media

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 品牌声誉是企业最宝贵的无形资产之一，一旦遭到破坏，往往需要数年时间才能重建。(Brand reputation is one of a company's most valuable intangible assets; once damaged, it often takes years to rebuild.)
• 该研究机构因发表了一篇存在数据造假嫌疑的论文，声誉在国际科学界受到了严重影响。(The research institution's reputation in the international scientific community was seriously affected after publishing a paper suspected of data fabrication.)

Don't Say

• 声誉 and 声望 as exact synonyms — 声誉 is the overall public estimation (can be negative), while 声望 specifically implies admiration and respect (inherently positive)

Origin & History

声 (reputation, voice; to be known) + 誉 (honour, praise, reputation)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal