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回应 (huí yìng) — to respond (formally or officially)

Definition

回应 is a formal/official 'respond to' — typically used for statements, demands, or criticism (回应质疑, 回应需求), heavier than the everyday 答 and more public-facing than 反应.

verb
to respond (formally or officially)

Examples

  • 回应。
    Gōng sī hái méi yǒu huí yìng méi tǐ de zhì yí.
    The company hasn't responded to the media's questions yet.
  • 回应。
    Zhèng fǔ bì xū huí yìng mín zhòng de xū qiú.
    The government must respond to the people's needs.
  • 回应？
    Nǐ zěn me huí yìng tā de pī píng?
    How do you respond to his criticism?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

回huíreply
应yìngrespond

回 carries a sense of replying and 应 one of responding, giving the sense of answering or reacting.

Characters in this word

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

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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