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警示 (jǐng shì) — to warn, to alert

Definition

警示 is a formal, public-facing 'to warn / to alert' — used for official notices, signs, and reports rather than everyday reminders. Heavier and more institutional than 提醒; close to 警告 but emphasizes alerting to a lesson or risk rather than scolding.

verb
to warnto alert

Examples

  • 警示。
    Zhèng fǔ tōng guò guǎng gào jǐng shì rén men zhù yì jiàn kāng.
    The government warns people to pay attention to health through advertisements.
  • 警示。
    Yī shēng jǐng shì huàn zhě bú yào làn yòng yào wù.
    The doctor warns patients not to abuse medication.
  • 警示。
    Zhè qǐ shì jiàn jǐng shì wǒ men jiāo tōng ān quán de zhòng yào xìng.
    This incident alerts us to the importance of traffic safety.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

警jǐngwarn
示shìshow

“警” warns and “示” shows, together giving a warning or alert.

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
言言yánspoken language, speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
敬
敬jìng警
Same sound today

警 places 言 (speech) below 敬; 敬 gives the sound.

Open 警 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Safety & Danger

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