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交流 (jiāo liú) — to exchange (ideas, information, etc.), to communicate, to interact socially

Definition

交流 covers any two-way exchange of ideas, feelings, or information — broader than 沟通 (focused on bridging understanding). Compare 交际, which is specifically social mingling with people.

verb
to exchange (ideas, information, etc.)to communicateto interact socially

Examples

  • 交流。
    Wǒ men jīng cháng yòng zhōng wén hù xiāng jiāo liú.
    We often communicate with each other in Chinese.
  • 交流。
    Tā xǐ huan hé péng you jiāo liú xiǎng fǎ.
    He likes to exchange ideas with friends.
  • 。
    Wǒ men zài kè shàng jiāo liú le zì jǐ de kàn fǎ.
    We shared our own views in class.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

交jiāoto exchange
流liúto flow

Both 交 and 流 suggest passing between and moving together, giving the sense of exchange or communication.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →
Appears in
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