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使得 (shǐ de) — to cause, to make (bring about a certain situation); (of a plan or method) workable, feasible, doable

Definition

使得 is a verb meaning 'to make / cause' a situation to happen, like 'cause him to work harder'. For 'feasible/workable' describing a plan, use 可行 instead.

verb
to causeto make (bring about a certain situation)(of a plan or method) workablefeasibledoable

Examples

  • 使得。
    Tā de huà shǐ de wǒ hěn kāi xīn.
    His words made me very happy.
  • 使得。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì shǐ de tā gèng nǔ lì le.
    This exam made him work harder.
  • 使得。
    Zhè ge jì huà bù shǐ de.
    This plan is not feasible.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

使shǐmake
得déget

The sense of 使 as make and 得 as get combine to mean to bring about or feasible.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
吏
吏lì使shǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

使 pairs 亻 (person) with 吏, which pictures a hand holding something like a flag, giving the sense of a representative or ambassador.

Open 使 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Cause, Effect & Logic5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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