事物 (shì wù) — thing; object | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

事物 refers to 'things' in a general, abstract sense — events, objects, or affairs — broader than 物品 (concrete goods) and more general than 物体 (a physical body). Often used to discuss categories or concepts, not specific items.

noun

thingobject

Measure word · 个

Easily confused

事务shì wùsound-alikeaffairs, matters (of work, politics, etc.)

Examples

事物。
Měi gè shì wù dōu yǒu tā de tè diǎn.
Every thing has its own characteristics.
事物。
Wǒ men yào xué huì fēn xī fù zá de shì wù.
We need to learn to analyze complex things.
事物。
Shì jiè shàng yǒu hěn duō yǒu qù de shì wù.
There are many interesting things in the world.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

事 and 物 together cover events and objects, meaning things in general.

Characters in this word

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

又又yòuhand
中中zhōnga flagpole with a drum

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Appears in

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