比较文学 (bǐ jiào wén xué) — comparative literature

Definition

noun
comparative literature

Examples

  • 比较文学。
    Wǒ zài dà xué xué xí bǐ jiào wén xué.
    I study comparative literature at university.
  • 。
    Wǒ duì bǐ jiào wén xué hěn gǎn xìng qù.
    I am very interested in comparative literature.
  • 比较文学。
    bǐ jiào wén xué Shì yì mén zhòng yào de xué kē.
    Comparative literature is an important academic discipline.

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.

比较compare
比bǐcompare较jiàocompare
联合Side by side
文学literature
文wénwriting学xuéstudy
偏正Modifier + head

比较 means compare, and 文学 refers to literature or literary study, so it names the study of literature across comparisons.

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.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →

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 較; 较 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūvehicle
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo較jiào
Same sound today

In the traditional form 較, 車 (vehicle) gives the sense and 交 gives the sound; the simplified 较 is a later abbreviation.

Open 较 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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