措词 (cuò cí) — wording; diction; way of expressing something

Definition

措词 (cuò cí) is a formal, written term for 'wording' or 'choice of words' — the way something is phrased, usually with attention to precision or appropriateness. More literary than the everyday 用词.

noun
wordingdictionway of expressing something
Easily confused

Examples

  • 措词，。
    Tā de cuò cí fēi cháng jīng què, ràng rén yí mù liǎo rán.
    His wording is very precise, making it clear at a glance.
  • 措词。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng de cuò cí xū yào zài xiū gǎi yí xià.
    The wording of this article needs to be revised a bit.
  • ，措词。
    Zài zhèng shì chǎng hé, cuò cí yào dé tǐ.
    In formal situations, wording should be appropriate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

措cuòarrange
词cíword

“措词” puts words in order to express a thought.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī措cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 扌 shows a hand, and the right side 昔 gives the sound; together they form 措.

Open 措 →

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 詞; 词 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī詞cí(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詞 uses 言, meaning speech, and 司 to show how it was pronounced; the simplified 词 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 词 →

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