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记事 (jì shì) — to record events; to keep a record of (personal) events or memories

Definition

记事 means 'to record events' — usually personal notes, a diary, or jotting things down for memory. Unlike 记 (jì, 'to remember / note'), it focuses on writing events into a record.

verb
to record eventsto keep a record of (personal) events or memories

Examples

  • 记事。
    Tā xí guàn yòng shǒu jī jì shì.
    He is used to recording events with his phone.
  • ，。
    Zuó tiān wǒ jì le yí jiàn shì, jīn tiān jiù wàng le.
    Yesterday I noted down an event, and today I've already forgotten it.
  • 记事。
    Cóng xiǎo wǒ jiù yǒu jì shì de xí guàn.
    Since I was little, I have had the habit of keeping a record.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

记jìrecord
事shìevents

'记' records '事' (events), giving a record of events.

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 記; 记 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech; words
Sound part声符shēngfú
己
己jǐ記jì
Same sound today

The traditional form 記 pairs 言 (speech; words) with 己 as a sound part; the simplified 记 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 记 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
Reading & Writing

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