01/12/2025
《為什麼華聖頓,要用〈聖〉這個字?》
大多數人第一次看到「華聖頓」,都會下意識聯想到 Washington。直到看見中間那個字「聖」。那一刻,大家都會微微停一下。這不是地名常用的「盛」或「勝」,而是一個帶有 重量、精神與方向 的字。 而它,正是我們名字的起點。
一個字的起源:從信念開始,往教育走去
華聖頓創辦人在成立學校的那一年,就決定將《聖經》的「聖」放進品牌的中心。不是巧合,也不是借音,而是一種深信 教育,不只是教知識,而是點亮孩子的內在方向感。在充滿選擇的世界裡,孩子最需要的,是能陪他走一生的指南針。能分辨、能思考、能做對決定。因此,在命名的那一刻,他毫不猶豫。 不是盛,不是勝,而是最能提醒教育初心的字〈聖〉。
走進教育現場後,我們更理解了「聖」的深度
在古文字的構形意涵中,「聖」的上部是「耳」,象徵 聆聽。 孩子靠著聽、看、感受來理解世界, 這是成長的第一步先能聽,才會懂。而下方的「王」,象徵 價值的中心與原則。
孩子在更大的世界裡,需要判斷、選擇、面對結果 先能懂,才能判斷;先能判斷,才能成就自己的人生方向。從好奇 → 理解 → 品格 → 決策,孩子成長的一生,剛好都藏在「聖」這個字的結構裡。
名字裡的「聖」,是一種教育哲學
對華聖頓而言,「聖」不是一個符號,而是一條教育路線圖。
Leaders for Tomorrow.
Leads Creativity.
未來需要的,不是只會考高分的孩子,而是能在複雜世界裡保持清晰、堅定與方向的人。會批判性思考、會選擇、會為自己的人生負責的人。「聖」是一盞照亮孩子成長道路的光。它提醒我們:教育真正的使命,不在於知識的輸入,而在於陪伴孩子成為他該成為的那個人。
這,就是華聖頓教育選擇〈聖〉的原因。
一個字,一種信念,一份對未來的承諾。也希望每位寫下「華聖頓」的家長與老師,都能和我們一起守住這份教育的初心。而當你再次寫下這個名字時,願你也能停一秒,看見那個「聖」字的重量,它代表我們的價值、方向與願望,是我們共同交付給孩子的那盞光。
Why Our Name Uses the Character 「聖」 (Shèng)
When people first see our Chinese name, 「華聖頓」 (Huá Shèng Dùn), they almost always think of Washington. The sound is familiar. But then their eyes stop on the middle character: 「聖」. That is where something quietly changes.
In most cases, Washington, D.C. is written as 「華盛頓」. There, the middle character 「盛」 means prosperous, full, overflowing success. Another common “sheng” is 「勝」, which means to win, to defeat others. Both are about visible achievement. Our school chose neither. We write our name as 「華聖頓」, using 「聖」, a character that in Chinese suggests holiness, wisdom, and being guided by higher principles. Spoken aloud, these “sheng” all sound almost the same. In meaning, they point in very different directions. Our entire naming choice begins with that difference.
When our founder started this school, she was not only looking for a way to match the sound of “Washington.” He wanted the name to answer a deeper question: What should stand at the center of education? He took the 「聖」 from the term for the Holy Bible (聖經). It is about helping a child grow an inner compass, the ability to discern, to think, and to make decisions they can live with in a complicated world. That is why, at the moment of naming, she chose: not 盛, not 勝, but 聖.
The character 「聖」 itself carries a story. In its traditional form, the upper part is linked to the ear, suggesting listening, as children first encounter the world through hearing, watching, and sensing. The lower part is 「王」, meaning “king,” symbolizing a center of values or authority, a stable line against which life can be measured. Put together, 「聖」 evokes a person who listens deeply, understands, and then lives according to clear principles. For us, that mirrors a child’s journey: from curiosity, to understanding, to character, and finally to decisions that shape their life. In that sense, the whole path from “knowing” to “becoming” is compressed into this one character.
For Washington Education, the 「聖」 in our name is not decoration; it is our educational philosophy written into a single stroke. We say: “Leaders for Tomorrow. Leads Creativity.” But the leaders we hope to form are not defined only by high scores or impressive resumes. We want young people who can stay clear-headed in a noisy world, think critically rather than follow blindly, make choices rooted in values, and take responsibility for themselves and others. 「聖」 stands in the middle of our name as a small light, reminding us that the real work of education is not just filling minds with information, but walking with children as they grow into the people they are meant to be.
That is why we chose this “sheng.” By writing 「華聖頓」 instead of 「華盛頓」, we are making a simple but firm statement: we care not only about how successful a child appears, but about the direction of their inner life. In one character, 聖, we have placed two beliefs and one promise: that every time we write our name, we remember the kind of future and the kind of person we are trying to nurture. And if, one day, you pause for a second when you write 「華聖頓」 and notice that middle character, we hope you will also see the light we are trying to place in our children’s hands.