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等于 (děng yú) — to equal, to be equivalent to

Definition

等于 is the basic math/identity 'equals' — used for literal equivalence (A = B). 对应 and 相等 stress mutual matching between paired things; 相当 is closer to 'comparable to' in degree.

verb
to equalto be equivalent to

Examples

  • 等于。
    Yì bǎi lí mǐ děng yú yì mǐ.
    One hundred centimeters equals one meter.
  • 。
    Nǔ lì gōng zuò bù děng yú yí dìng huì chéng gōng.
    Working hard does not necessarily equal success.
  • 等于。
    Tā de huí dá děng yú méi yǒu huí dá.
    His answer is equivalent to no answer.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

等děngequal
于yúsuffix

等 gives the sense of equality, and 于 completes 等于.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì等děng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Open 等 →

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

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Math5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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