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单方面 (dān fāng miàn) — unilateral action; one-sidedness

Definition

A noun for an action taken by only one party, with no input from the other. Compared to the adjective 片面 (which describes a biased view), 单方面 names the act itself; 单边 is a close synonym used more in trade/policy contexts.

noun
unilateral actionone-sidedness

Examples

  • 单方面。
    Tā fǎn duì dān fāng miàn.
    He opposes unilateralism.
  • ，单方面。
    Zài zhè ge wèn tí shàng, dān fāng miàn bú huì dài lái hǎo de jié guǒ.
    On this issue, unilateralism will not bring good results.
  • 单方面，。
    Wǒ men bú yīng gāi cǎi qǔ dān fāng miàn, ér yīng gāi shāng liang.
    We should not adopt unilateralism, but should discuss.

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.

单dānone
方面side; aspect
方fāngside面miànaspect
联合Coordinate

单 “one” limits 方 and 面, which together mean side or aspect, giving the sense of one side only.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

Open 单 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 方 →

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

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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