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调停 (tiáo tíng) — to mediate; to intervene and settle a dispute

Definition

调停 (tiáotíng) means a third party stepping in to mediate a dispute between two sides — more active intervention than 调解 (tiáojiě), which aims for mutual agreement.

verb
to mediateto intervene and settle a dispute

Examples

  • 调停。
    Lián hé guó pài dài biǎo tiáo tíng liǎng guó zhī jiān de chōng tū.
    The United Nations sent a representative to mediate the conflict between the two countries.
  • 调停。
    Tā men qǐng le yí wèi lǜ shī lái tiáo tíng láo zī jiū fēn.
    They hired a lawyer to mediate the labor dispute.
  • 调停，。
    Jīng guò duō cì tiáo tíng, shuāng fāng zhōng yú dá chéng le xié yì.
    After multiple rounds of mediation, the two sides finally reached an agreement.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

调tiáoadjust
停tíngstop

调 means adjust or harmonize and 停 means stop or settle, so 调停 is to bring a dispute to a settled end.

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
亭
亭tíng停tíng
Same sound today

The left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 亭 gives the sound tíng; this forms 停.

Open 停 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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