shǎng

to bestow (a reward)

to give (to an inferior); to hand down; a reward (bestowed by a superior); to appreciate (beauty)

esteem (尚) + shell-wealth (贝) = bestowing a reward

贝 represents cowrie shells, ancient China's currency and symbol of wealth. 尚 mainly lends the sound shǎng; the shell radical carries the sense of valuables being bestowed downward.

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EsteemPhonetic
Cowrie shellSemantic

皇帝给他一块玉。

huángdì shǎng gěi tā yī kuài yù。

The emperor bestowed a piece of jade on him.

他很喜欢欣山里的风景。

tā hěn xǐhuān xīnshǎng shān lǐ de fēngjǐng。

He very much enjoys appreciating the scenery in the mountains.

Words with 赏

颁赏

bān shǎng

to bestow a prize or reward

酬赏

chóu shǎng

reward

重赏

zhòng shǎng

ample reward

鉴赏

jiàn shǎng

to appreciate (as a connoisseur)

鉴赏家

jiàn shǎng jiā

connoisseur

雅俗共赏

yǎ sú gòng shǎng

can be enjoyed by scholars and lay-people alike (idiom)

惊赏

jīng shǎng

surprised and admiring

功高不赏

gōng gāo bù shǎng

high merit that one can never repay (idiom); invaluable achievements

受赏

shòu shǎng

to receive a prize

叹赏

tàn shǎng

to admire

奇文共赏

qí wén gòng shǎng

lit. remarkable work appreciated by all (idiom); universally praised (original meaning)

好活当赏

hǎo huó dāng shǎng

(coll.) bravo

More characters with 尚