论题 (lùn tí) — topic (of a discussion, essay, or debate); logical proposition; thesis (academic argument)

Definition

An academic/logical term covering both a 'topic' (the subject of discussion or essay) and a 'thesis/proposition' (a claim to be argued or proved). More technical than everyday 题目, which is just 'topic' or 'question on a test'.

noun
topic (of a discussion, essay, or debate)logical propositionthesis (academic argument)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 论题。
    Zhè ge lùn tí shì wǒ men jīn tiān yào tǎo lùn de.
    This topic is what we are going to discuss today.
  • ，论题。
    Zài luó ji xué zhōng, měi gè lùn tí dōu xū yào zhèng míng.
    In logic, each proposition needs to be proven.
  • 论题。
    Tā de bì yè lùn wén lùn tí xuǎn dé hěn qià dàng.
    The thesis of her graduation paper was chosen very appropriately.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

论lùnargument/discussion
题títopic

“论” (discussion/argument) and “题” (topic) together name the topic being discussed or argued.

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 論; 论 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
侖
侖lún論lùn
Same sound today

The traditional form 論 pairs 言 (“say”) with 侖 as a sound component; the simplified 论 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 论 →

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 題; 题 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì題tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 题, the traditional form 題 uses 是 for sound and 頁 for head, and means 'forehead'.

Open 题 →

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