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意识形态 (yì shí xíng tài) — ideology (political or social system of ideas); values system, worldview

Definition

A formal, academic term for a coherent system of political or social ideas that shapes how a group understands the world. Hears it in news, political writing, and sociology — not everyday speech.

noun
ideology (political or social system of ideas)values systemworldview

Examples

  • 意识形态。
    Bù tóng de shè huì yǒu bù tóng de yì shí xíng tài.
    Different societies have different ideologies.
  • 意识形态。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de yì shí xíng tài qiáng diào chuàng xīn hé hé zuò.
    This company's ideology emphasizes innovation and cooperation.
  • 意识形态。
    yì shí xíng tài De dòu zhēng zài lì shǐ shàng cóng wèi tíng zhǐ guò.
    The struggle of ideologies has never stopped in history.

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.

意识consciousness
意yìidea识shíawareness
联合Coordinate
形态form
形xíngform态tàistate
联合Coordinate

意识 tells what kind of 形态 it is: the form that ideas and beliefs take, as in ideology.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí識zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 识 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
太
太tài态tài
Same sound today

态 is made of 太, which gives the sound, and 心 (heart).

Open 态 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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