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念书 (niàn shū) — to read (for study); to study (academically)

Definition

念书 (niàn shū) means 'to study / attend school' — a separable verb. Like 读书, it emphasizes studying rather than just reading a book (阅读) or reading aloud (念).

verb
to read (for study)to study (academically)

Examples

  • 念书。
    Tā xǐ huan zài tú shū guǎn niàn shū.
    He likes to study in the library.
  • 。
    Tā niàn le yí xià wǔ shū.
    He read (studied) for a whole afternoon.
  • 念书。
    Tā yì biān gōng zuò yì biān niàn shū.
    He studies while working.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

念niànread
书shūbook

念 means to read or recite, and 书 is what is read.

Characters in this word

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

念 combines 今, an upside-down mouth, with 心, the heart, to listen to one's heart.

Open 念 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6School & EducationReading & Writing

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.