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熟知 (shú zhī) — to know very well; to be very familiar with

Definition

熟知 (shú zhī) means to know something very thoroughly through experience or study — stronger than 认识 (acquaintance) and more formal than 熟悉 (familiar with). It typically takes an object like a field, rules, or customs, not people.

verb
to know very wellto be very familiar with

Examples

  • 熟知。
    Tā shú zhī dāng dì de fēng sú xí guàn.
    He knows the local customs and habits very well.
  • 熟知。
    Zhè xiē guī zé wǒ men zǎo yǐ shú zhī.
    We have long been very familiar with these rules.
  • 熟知。
    shú zhī Zhè ge lǐng yù de rén bìng bù duō.
    There are not many people who know this field very well.

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.

熟shúfamiliar
知zhīknow

熟 adds a sense of thorough familiarity to 知, giving 'know very well'.

Characters in this word

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

熟 combines 孰 (cooked; ripe) with 灬 (fire), showing food cooked with fire.

Open 熟 →

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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