Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 佩服 | pèifu |
| 欣賞 / 欣赏 | xīnshǎng |
佩服 is an informal term used to signify admiration for someone's abilities, character or achievements. It is often used in a context where the speaker feels a sense of respect or even slight awe toward the person's capability.
What does it mean word for word?
The character 佩 (pèi) means to wear something (like a jade pendant) on one's belt, and 服 (fú) means to obey or submit, historically implying a respect that one 'wears' or carries.
Which one should you use?
While both can mean 'admire', 佩服 focuses on respect for a person's prowess or strength, whereas 欣赏 focuses on appreciation of beauty or talent. 佩服 is used when you admire someone's skills, abilities or impressive character traits. 欣赏 is used when you admire or appreciate something for its aesthetic value, such as art, music or a person's talent/qualities.
How do you pronounce it?
pèifu
Did you know?
- In modern slang, 佩服 is sometimes used sarcastically to mean 'I cannot believe you just did that' when someone does something incredibly foolish or audacious.
- The character 服 (fú) in 佩服 (pèifu) also means 'clothes', creating a linguistic connection between the act of wearing a garment and the act of being convinced by someone's superiority.
- The character 佩 (pèi) refers to an ancient tradition where scholars wore ornamental jade to signal their moral virtue to others.
Examples in context
- 學生們佩服她的領導能力。Students admire her leadership skills.This sentence shows how to use 佩服 regarding leadership skills.Tatoeba #13201807 by LeviHighway, translation #13131206 by Nuel
- 我就是佩服你。It's just that I admire you.This sentence uses 佩服 to express direct personal admiration.Tatoeba #400414 by sysko, translation #414942 by FeuDRenais
- 我佩服他的勇气。I admire him for his courage.This sentence demonstrates using 佩服 to admire someone's courage.Tatoeba #512110 by fucongcong, translation #287713 by CK
- 我非常钦佩他在业界的成就。I greatly admire his achievements in the industry.
- 我敬佩他不断追求知识的精神。I admire his spirit of continuous pursuit of knowledge.
- 她的音乐才华真让人赞叹。Her musical talent is truly admirable.
- 我羡慕他那种冷静应对困难的态度。I admire his calm attitude in dealing with difficulties.
- 我佩服他的勇气和决心。I admire his courage and determination.
- 我崇拜那位歌手的天赋。I idolize the singer's talent.
- 你真厉害！这个成果你完全配得上。You're really amazing! You completely deserve this achievement.
- 他的表演真是太牛了！His performance was absolutely incredible!
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a successful project leader in the office.
- 志强 Zhiqiang大家都非常佩服他。Dàjiā dōu fēicháng pèifú tā.Everyone admires him very much.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen是的，他的工作效率很高。Shì de, tā de gōngzuò xiàolǜ hěn gāo.Yes, his work efficiency is very high.
- 志强 Zhiqiang妳也覺得他很厲害吧？Nǐ yě juéde tā hěn lìhai ba?You also think he is amazing, right?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我也很佩服他。Wǒ yě hěn pèifú tā.I admire him too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “admire” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
