TongTong
Sign in

苏维埃 (Sū wéi āi) — Soviet (proper noun, referring to the historical Soviet councils and the Soviet Union)

Definition

Transliteration of the Russian term for the local councils that governed the USSR and a short name for the Soviet Union itself. Strictly historical — always paired with past-tense framing in modern Chinese.

noun
Soviet (proper noun, referring to the historical Soviet councils and the Soviet Union)

Examples

  • 苏维埃。
    Sū wéi āi Céng jīng shì yí gè qiáng dà de guó jiā.
    The Soviet Union was once a powerful country.
  • 苏维埃。
    Nà duàn Sū wéi āi shí qī de lì shǐ fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    The history of that Soviet period is very important.
  • 苏维埃。
    Sū wéi āi Zhèng quán xiàn zài yǐ jīng bù cún zài le.
    The Soviet regime no longer exists now.

Origin

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 蘇; 苏 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 苏 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 蘇; in others it is 甦 or 囌.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
穌
穌sū蘇Sū
Same sound today

The traditional form 蘇 uses 艸 (grass; plant) for meaning and 穌 for sound; the simplified 苏 is a later shorthand.

Open 苏 →

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 維; 维 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
唯
唯wéi維wéi
Same sound today

In the traditional form 維, 糸 marks a thread meaning and 唯 provides the sound; the simplified 维 is a later shortened shape.

Open 维 →

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
土土tǔearth; soil
Sound part声符shēngfú
矣
矣yǐ埃āi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 土 side of 埃 relates to earth or soil, while 矣 gives the sound.

Open 埃 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.