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表决 (biǎo jué) — to vote; to decide by vote

Definition

表决 is the formal verb for 'to vote / decide by vote' in meetings and assemblies — broader than 投票 (the act of casting a ballot) and more general than 选举 (electing a person to a post).

verb
to voteto decide by vote

Examples

  • 表决。
    Quán tǐ chéng yuán biǎo jué tōng guò le zhè xiàng jué yì.
    All members voted to pass this resolution.
  • 表决。
    Wǒ men jiāng zài xià cì huì yì shàng biǎo jué.
    We will vote at the next meeting.
  • 表决。
    Zhǔ xí qǐng dài biǎo men biǎo jué.
    The chair asked the representatives to vote.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

表biǎoshow
决juédecide

“表” and “决” join showing and deciding into voting.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →

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 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài決jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

Open 决 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Government & Politics

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