应该 (yīng gāi) — should; ought to; must

Definition

应该 is the standard 'should / ought to' for advice and mild expectation. It is weaker than the obligation expressed by 得 (děi) — think 'should' vs 'must'. Negate with 不应该.

verb
shouldought tomust

Examples

  • 应该。
    Nǐ yīng gāi duō xiū xi.
    You should rest more.
  • 应该。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi hǎo hǎo xué xí.
    We should study hard.
  • 应该。
    Tā yīng gāi míng tiān lái.
    He should come tomorrow.

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.

应yìngshould
该gāishould

Both 应 and 该 express obligation, so together they mean should.

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 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 →

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 該; 该 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài該gāi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 該 pairs 言 (speech) with 亥 as a sound part; the simplified 该 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 该 →

Grammar

Appears in
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