语义学 (yǔ yì xué) — semantics

Definition

noun
semantics

Examples

  • 语义学。
    yǔ yì xué Shì yǔ yán xué de yí gè zhòng yào fēn zhī.
    Semantics is an important branch of linguistics.
  • 语义学。
    Yán jiū yǔ yì xué néng bāng zhù wǒ men lǐ jiě cí yǔ de zhǔn què hán yì.
    Studying semantics helps us understand the precise meaning of words.
  • 语义学。
    Zhè piān lùn wén cóng yǔ yì xué de jiǎo dù fēn xī le yǐn yù xiàn xiàng.
    This paper analyzes metaphorical phenomena from the perspective of semantics.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

语义meaning of language
语yǔlanguage义yìmeaning
偏正Modifier + head
学xuéstudy/discipline

语义 'meaning of language' plus 学 'study/discipline' names the discipline of semantics.

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →

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 義; 义 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ義yì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 義 has 我 giving the sound and 羊 meaning good or auspicious; the simplified 义 is a later abbreviation.

Open 义 →

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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