事迹

• Pinyin: shì jì
• Hanzi breakdown: 事 = 口 + 彐 + 亅 (affair, matter, deed); 迹 = 辶 + 亦 (trace, footprint, record)

Meaning

Deeds; achievements; notable acts. A record of significant actions or accomplishments, especially meritorious ones worthy of commemoration.

Typically refers to commendable, heroic, or exemplary actions performed by individuals or groups, used in official commendations, biographies, obituaries, and news reports. The term carries a formal, laudatory register. Common forms: 先进事迹 (outstanding deeds), 英雄事迹 (heroic deeds), 事迹材料 (written record of deeds for official evaluation). Contrast: 行为 (behaviour, general actions), 事件 (event, incident).

Examples

1. 这位消防员在火灾救援中的英勇事迹经媒体报道后迅速传遍全国，激励了无数年轻人树立无私奉献的职业理想。 After media reports on his heroic actions during a fire rescue, the firefighter’s story quickly spread nationwide, inspiring countless young people to pursue a professional ideal of selfless service.
2. 学校决定将这批优秀毕业生的成长事迹整理成册，作为励志教材发放给在校学生，传递榜样力量。 The school decided to compile the growth stories of this group of outstanding graduates into a booklet and distribute it to current students as motivational material to pass on the power of role models.
3. 评选委员会在审核候选人的事迹材料时，格外注重真实性和可核实性，力求把最具代表性的先进典型推选出来。 When reviewing candidates’ supporting materials, the selection committee placed special emphasis on authenticity and verifiability, striving to choose the most representative advanced role models.

Usage Guide

Context: official commendation, biography, journalism, education

Tone: laudatory

Do Say

• 为深入宣传这位科学家的先进事迹，单位特别组织了系列主题报告会，邀请其团队成员分享科研攻关背后鲜为人知的艰辛历程与精神力量。(In order to publicise this scientist's outstanding deeds in depth, the organisation specially arranged a series of themed report sessions, inviting members of her team to share the little-known hardships and spiritual strength behind the scientific breakthroughs.)
• 英雄事迹的传颂不应止于仪式化的表彰活动，更应转化为日常教育和制度建设的具体内容，使榜样的力量真正渗透到社会价值观的形成过程中。(The commemoration of heroic deeds should not stop at ceremonial commendation events; it should be converted into concrete content for everyday education and institution-building, so that the power of role models truly permeates the formation of social values.)

Don't Say

• 事迹 for neutral or negative actions — it is almost exclusively reserved for praiseworthy deeds; for neutral records of what someone did use 经历 (experiences) or 行为 (behaviour), and for wrongdoings use 劣迹 or 恶行

Origin & History

事 (matter, affair, deed) + 迹 (trace, footprint, record) — 'the traces left by one's deeds'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal