qiānxū

谦虚

HSK 6Word · Adjective · VerbTraditional謙虛

modest; self-effacing

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 5 examples
1.

adjective

modest; humble; not self-satisfied

commendatory

Describes a personal quality; often used in a positive, commendatory sense.

Tā他
shì是
yī一
wèi位
fēi非
cháng常
qiān谦
xū虚
de的
xué学
zhě者
 。

He is a very modest scholar.

Qǔ取
dé得
hǎo好
chéng成
jì绩
shí时
yào要
bǎo保
chí持
qiān谦
xū虚
 。

One should remain humble when achieving good results.

Show 1 more example
Qiān谦
xū虚
shǐ使
rén人
jìn进
bù步
 ，
jiāo骄
ào傲
shǐ使
rén人
luò落
hòu后
 。

Modesty leads to progress, while arrogance leads to falling behind.

2.

verb

to speak modestly; to decline politely out of modesty

neutral

Used for the act of verbally downplaying one's abilities or achievements, often before accepting praise or a request.

Tā他
qiān谦
xū虚
le了
jǐ几
jù句
 ，
zuì最
hòu后
hái还
shì是
jiē接
shòu受
le了
lǐng领
dǎo导
de的
biǎo表
yáng扬
 。

He said a few modest words but ultimately accepted the leader's praise.

Wǒ我
yāo邀
qǐng请
tā他
fā发
yán言
 ，
tā他
xiān先
qiān谦
xū虚
le了
yī一
fān番
cái才
zǒu走
shàng上
jiǎng讲
tái台
 。

When I invited him to speak, he first declined politely before stepping onto the podium.