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对立面 (duì lì miàn) — opposite side; antithesis (in philosophy, conflict, or dialectics)

Definition

对立面 names the opposing party or pole in a conflict — commonly used in dialectical or political contexts. It refers to one side AS a position, not just a single opponent.

noun
opposite sideantithesis (in philosophy, conflict, or dialectics)

Examples

  • ，对立面。
    Zài zhè ge wèn tí shàng, tā men zhàn zài le duì lì miàn.
    On this issue, they stand on the opposite side.
  • 对立面。
    Máo dùn de liǎng gè fāng miàn hù wéi duì lì miàn.
    The two aspects of a contradiction are each other's opposite.
  • 对立面。
    Tā men chéng le wǒ men de duì lì miàn.
    They became our opposition.

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.

对立opposite
对duìopposite立lìstand
偏正Modifier + head
面miànside

对 means opposite, 立 means stand, and 面 means side; it names the side that stands opposite.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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
Abstract Concepts

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