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知晓 (zhī xiǎo) — to know, to be aware of, to understand (formal)

Definition

Formal written verb for 'to know / be aware of', used in official or legal contexts (e.g. 公众有权知晓). For everyday 'know' use 知道; for knowing people use 认识.

verb
to knowto be aware ofto understand (formal)

Examples

  • 知晓。
    Tā zǎo yǐ zhī xiǎo zhè jiàn shì de zhēn xiàng.
    He has long known the truth of this matter.
  • 知晓。
    Gōng zhòng yǒu quán zhī xiǎo zhèng fǔ de jué cè guò chéng.
    The public has the right to know the government's decision-making process.
  • 知晓？
    Nǐ shì fǒu zhī xiǎo zhè ge guī dìng de jù tǐ nèi róng?
    Do you know the specific content of this regulation?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

知zhīknow
晓xiǎounderstand

“知” and “晓” both mean knowing or understanding, so the word emphasizes awareness.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 曉; 晓 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo曉xiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 曉 puts 日, a sun, beside 堯, which gives the sound; the simplified 晓 is a shorthand and its right side is not that sound part.

Open 晓 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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