宗教 (zōng jiào) — religion | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

宗教 is the abstract noun for 'religion' as a category or system of belief. 教 by itself is a verb meaning 'to teach', not a synonym.

noun

religion

宗教。
Měi gè rén dōu yǒu xuǎn zé zì jǐ zōng jiào de zì yóu.
Everyone has the freedom to choose their own religion.
宗教。
Tā duì bù tóng zōng jiào de lì shǐ hěn gǎn xìng qù.
He is very interested in the history of different religions.
宗教。
Yǒu de zōng jiào tí chàng hé píng yǔ kuān róng.
Some religions advocate peace and tolerance.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

宗 and 教 both point to a faith community and its teachings, together naming religion.

Characters in this word

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

宀示宗

宗 pairs 宀, a house, with 示, a spirit tablet, to show an ancestral shrine or temple.

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

子子zǐchild

攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority

Sound part声符shēngfú

爻

爻yáo教jiào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Appears in