传略 (zhuàn lüè) — short biography; biographical sketch

Definition

noun
short biographybiographical sketch

Examples

  • 传略。
    Zhè běn zhuàn lüè jì lù le tā yì shēng de zhǔ yào chéng jiù.
    This short biography records the main achievements of his life.
  • 传略。
    Chū bǎn shè qǐng le yí wèi zuò jiā wèi tā xiě zhuàn lüè.
    The publishing house invited a writer to write a biographical sketch for him.
  • 传略，。
    Zhè piān zhuàn lüè suī rán jiǎn duǎn, dàn nèi róng hěn quán miàn.
    This biographical sketch, though brief, is very comprehensive in content.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

传chuánbiography
略lüèoutline/brief

传 refers to a biography and 略 to an outline; together they mean a short biographical sketch.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè略lüè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

略 combines 田 (field) with 各 for sound; the described idea is walking around a field to outline it.

Open 略 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.