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示意 (shì yì) — to hint, to signal, to indicate (non-verbally or subtly)

Definition

示意 (shì yì) is to hint or signal, often non-verbally with a hand or glance. 暗示 is a covert verbal hint; 标示 marks or labels something visible. Negate with 不, not 没.

verb
to hintto signalto indicate (non-verbally or subtly)

Examples

  • 示意，。
    Tā xiàng wǒ shì yì le yí xià, wǒ jiù míng bai le.
    He signaled to me, and I understood right away.
  • 示意。
    Lǎo shī shì yì dà jiā ān jìng xià lái.
    The teacher gestured for everyone to quiet down.
  • 示意。
    Tā yòng shǒu shì yì wǒ men gēn shàng tā.
    She used her hand to indicate that we should follow her.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

示shìshow
意yìmeaning

'示' is to show, and '意' is the meaning or intention shown, giving a hint or signal.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Communication & Speech

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