劝解 (quàn jiě) — to mediate (a quarrel), to pacify, to exhort to peace

Definition

劝解 is to mediate or soothe someone who is angry or quarrelling, calming them down with words. Contrast with 调解 (tiáojiě), which is more formal and refers to officially settling a dispute.

verb
to mediate (a quarrel)to pacifyto exhort to peace

Examples

  • ，劝解。
    Tā men chǎo jià le, nǐ kuài qù quàn jiě yí xià.
    They're fighting — go and mediate quickly.
  • ，劝解。
    Tā xīn qíng bù hǎo, wǒ quàn jiě le bàn tiān tā cái hǎo yì diǎn.
    She was in a bad mood; I tried to soothe her for a long time before she felt a bit better.
  • 劝解。
    Lín jū zhī jiān de máo dùn xū yào yǒu rén quàn jiě.
    The conflict between neighbors needs someone to mediate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

劝quànpersuade
解jiěmediate

劝 means persuade, 解 means mediate; together they mean to persuade people to settle a dispute.

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 勸; 劝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn勸quàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勸 pairs 力 (strength) with 雚 as a sound part; the simplified 劝 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 劝 →

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

解 shows 刀 (knife) separating 角 (horn) from 牛 (cow), giving the picture of cutting up an ox.

Open 解 →

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