舍得

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 舍得 (shědé) is composed of two characters: 舍 (shě) and 得 (dé). The character 舍 originally meant "to abandon" or "to give up", while the character 得 meant "to obtain" or "to gain". Together, the two characters 舍得 can be interpreted as "to be willing to give up in order to gain". This phrase is often used in a positive sense, to encourage people to make sacrifices in order to achieve their goals. For example, a student might say "我舍得放弃玩游戏，为了学习" (wǒ shědé fàngqì wán yóuxì, wèile xuéxí), meaning "I am willing to give up playing games in order to study". In this sense, 舍得 is similar to the English phrase "no pain, no gain".However, 舍得 can also be used in a negative sense, to criticize people who are too stingy or unwilling to spend money. For example, someone might say "他太舍不得花钱了" (tā tài shěbude huāqián le), meaning "He is too stingy to spend money". In this sense, 舍得 is similar to the English phrase "penny-pinching".Overall, the meaning of 舍得 depends on the context in which it is used. It can be a positive or negative word, depending on whether it is used to encourage or criticize someone.