满意 (mǎn yì) — to be satisfied with, pleased

Definition

满意 (mǎnyì) is the everyday verb for being satisfied or pleased with something specific. Use it about a person feeling content with an outcome or object, unlike 满足 (HSK5), which focuses on needs being met.

verb
to be satisfied withpleased

Examples

  • 满意。
    Wǒ duì jīn tiān de wǎn fàn hěn mǎn yì.
    I am very satisfied with today's dinner.
  • 。
    Tā duì zhè ge jié guǒ bù mǎn yì.
    He is not satisfied with this result.
  • 满意。
    Tā duì zhè ge gōng zuò hěn mǎn yì.
    He is very satisfied with this job.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

满mǎnfill
意yìwishes

The sense is 满, or filling, the 意, or wishes, so one feels pleased.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 滿; 满 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒼
㒼㒼滿mǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滿 pairs 水, showing water, with 㒼, giving the sound. The simplified 满 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 满 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →
Appears in
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