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读后感 (dú hòu gǎn) — written reflection or review after reading (a book, article, etc.)

Definition

A short written piece sharing your personal thoughts after reading a book or article — both a school assignment genre and a common type of essay.

noun
written reflection or review after reading (a book, article, etc.)

Examples

  • 读后感。
    Lǎo shī yāo qiú wǒ men xiě yì piān dú hòu gǎn.
    The teacher asked us to write a reading reflection.
  • 读后感。
    Zhè piān dú hòu gǎn xiě dé hěn yǒu shēn dù.
    This reading review is written with great depth.
  • ，读后感。
    Dú wán xiǎo shuō hòu, tā fēn xiǎng le zì jǐ de dú hòu gǎn.
    After finishing the novel, he shared his reading reflections.

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.

读后after reading
读dúread后hòuafter
偏正Modifier + head
感gǎnfeeling

读 gives reading, 后 gives after, and 感 gives the feeling left by that.

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 讀; 读 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
𧶠
𧶠𧶠讀dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 讀 is made of 言 ('to say') and 𧶠 (giving the sound); this description is about 讀, not 读.

Open 读 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →
Appears in
Reading & Writing

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