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架势 (jià shi) — posture, stance (physical or figurative); attitude, manner (often implying a strong or showy display)

Definition

架势 is the showy or affected side of 'attitude' — implies a put-on stance or grand manner, more performative than 态度. 姿势 is just physical posture; 架势 often pairs with 那副 to highlight pretension.

noun
posturestance (physical or figurative)attitudemanner (often implying a strong or showy display)

Examples

  • 架势。
    Tā bǎi chū yí fù yào dǎ jià de jià shi.
    He put on a fighting stance.
  • 架势，。
    Nǐ bié kàn tā nà fù jià shi, qí shí tā tè bié jǐn zhāng.
    Don't mind his manner — actually he's very nervous.
  • ，架势。
    Zhè cì tán pàn tā men lái shì xiōng xiōng, jià shi bù xiǎo.
    They came into this negotiation aggressively, with quite a show of force.

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.

架jiàframe
势shìposture

架 gives the idea of a frame or stance, and 势 adds posture or force, forming an attitude or position.

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
木木mùtree, wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
加
加jiā架jià
Same sound today

架 shows 木, meaning wood, with 加 giving the sound; it refers to a wooden prop.

Open 架 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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