收尾 (shōu wěi) — to wind up, to wrap up, to finish; (noun) endin… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A verb-noun ('to wind up' / 'the ending') used for the final phase of a project, article, or event. It highlights the concluding work itself, not the broader process like 结束.

verb

to wind upto wrap upto finish

noun

ending partconcluding section (of a project, article, or event)

Examples

收尾。
Gōng chéng yǐ jīng jiē jìn shōu wěi jiē duàn le.
The project is already nearing its final phase.
，。
Zhè xiàng gōng zuò, wǒ men shōu le yí gè yuán mǎn de wěi.
We wrapped up this task successfully.
收尾。
Zhè piān wén zhāng de shōu wěi xiě dé yǒu diǎn cāng cù.
The ending of this article is written a bit hastily.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

收 (close) and 尾 (tail) combine to mean closing the tail end, i.e. wrapping up.

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

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

丩

丩jiū收shōu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

收 uses 攴 to show an action and 丩 as a sound clue; the old meaning was 'to arrest.'

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

尸毛尾

尸尸shīperson
毛毛máohair; feather

The form 尾 combines 尸 (person) and 毛 (hair; feather).

Appears in

Change & Process

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.