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休会 (xiū huì) — to adjourn a meeting; to recess

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to pause a meeting for a period of time. A separable verb: 休三天会 (adjourn for three days), not *休会三天.

verb
to adjourn a meetingto recess

Examples

  • 休会。
    Huì yì jué dìng xiū huì sān tiān.
    The meeting decided to adjourn for three days.
  • ，。
    Wǒ men xiū le liǎng tiān huì, xià zhōu jì xù tǎo lùn.
    We adjourned the meeting for two days and will continue discussing next week.
  • ，。
    Zhè cì huì yì zhī xiū guò yí cì huì, shí jiān bù cháng.
    This meeting only recessed once, and it wasn't long.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

休xiūstop
会huìmeeting

休 “stop” and 会 “meeting” build the sense “stop the meeting.”

Characters in this word

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

休 pairs 人 (man) with 木 (tree), showing a person leaning against a tree to rest.

Open 休 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →
Appears in
Groups & OrganizationsWorkplace & Office

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