TongTong
Sign in

主义 (zhǔ yì) — ideology, doctrine; ‑ism (as a suffix forming names of doctrines)

Definition

主义 names a system or doctrine, often used as the '-ism' suffix (e.g. 社会主义). Closer to 学说 and 教条 as an established doctrine, but more neutral than the rigid 教条, and broader than 思想 (a single thought).

noun
ideologydoctrine‑ism (as a suffix forming names of doctrines)

Examples

  • 主义。
    Zhè ge zhǔ yì yǐng xiǎng le zhěng gè shè huì.
    This ideology influenced the whole society.
  • 主义。
    Bù tóng de rén yǒu bù tóng de zhǔ yì.
    Different people have different ideologies.
  • 主义，。
    Tā fǎn duì zhè ge zhǔ yì, tí chū le xīn de guān diǎn.
    He opposed this ideology and proposed new viewpoints.

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.

主zhǔprincipal
义yìdoctrine

主 contributes 'principal' and 义 contributes 'doctrine', together forming an ideology or -ism.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.