Meaning of 修养
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- accomplishment
- training
- self-cultivation
How to use 修养
修养 describes a person's cultivated character, manners, or level of accomplishment in an area, and often appears in phrases like 有修养 (yǒu xiūyǎng, well-mannered) or 艺术修养 (yìshù xiūyǎng, artistic accomplishment). Example: 他是一个很有修养的人。(Tā shì yí ge hěn yǒu xiūyǎng de rén.) He is a very cultured, well-mannered person.
修 (xiū) means to repair or improve, as in 修理 (xiūlǐ), and 养 (yǎng) means to nourish, as in 营养 (yíngyǎng). Think of 修养 as repairing and feeding your inner self until you become a refined, well-trained person.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 修养 (xiūyǎng) with 休养 (xiūyǎng), which has the same pronunciation but means to rest and recuperate. If you mean recovering from illness, use 休 (rest), not 修.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
修 xiū · to decorate · 9 strokes
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- 9
养 yǎng · to raise · 9 strokes
- 1
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Related words
Words that share a character with 修养.
| 修改 | xiūgǎi | to amend; to alter |
| 营养 | yíngyǎng | nutrition; nourishment |
| 修理 | xiūlǐ | to repair; to fix |
| 培养 | péiyǎng | to cultivate; to breed |
| 装修 | zhuāngxiū | to decorate; interior decoration |
| 维修 | wéixiū | maintenance (of equipment); to protect and maintain |
| 养成 | yǎngchéng | to cultivate; to raise |
| 疗养 | liáoyǎng | to get well; to heal |
| 修复 | xiūfù | to restore; to renovate; (computing) to repair (a corrupted file etc) |
| 修建 | xiūjiàn | to build; to construct |
| 保养 | bǎoyǎng | to take good care of (or conserve) one's health; to keep in good repair |
| 选修 | xuǎnxiū | (at a school) to take as an elective; an elective |
Questions about 修养
What does 修养 mean?
修养 (xiūyǎng) means "accomplishment; training" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 修养?
修养 is made of 2 characters: 修 (9 strokes), 养 (9 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 修养 an HSK word?
Yes. 修养 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 修养 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 修养 is written 修養.
What is the difference between 修养 and 教养?
教养 (jiàoyǎng) focuses on upbringing and the manners you learned from family and education. 修养 is broader and suggests self-cultivation, including inner calm, culture, and skill built over time.
Can 修养 be used as a verb?
In modern everyday Chinese it is mainly a noun, used with verbs like 有 (yǒu, to have) or 提高 (tígāo, to raise). For the action of cultivating yourself, people more often say 修身 (xiūshēn) or 培养 (péiyǎng).