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二者 (èr zhě) — both (of the two); the two (formal/literary)

Definition

Formal written word meaning 'the two / both' — used in essays, reports, and rhetorical style, far more literary than everyday 两个 / 两者. Equivalent to 'these two things' as a unit.

noun
both (of the two)the two (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 二者。
    èr zhě Zhī jiān yǒu hěn dà de chā yì.
    There is a big difference between the two.
  • 二者。
    èr zhě Dōu kě yǐ cān jiā zhè cì bǐ sài.
    Both of them can participate in this competition.
  • 二者。
    Wǒ men xuǎn zé èr zhě zhōng de yí gè.
    We choose one of the two.

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.

二èrtwo
者zhěones

二 means two, and 者 refers to the ones, so 二者 means the two people or things.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →
Appears in
Numbers & Counting

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