会 (huì) — can; to know how to (a learned skill); to be likely to; will (future prediction)
Definition
会 (huì) marks a learned skill ('can, know how to') and also predicts the future ('will, be likely to'). Unlike 易于 or 必定, it is everyday and casual, not formal or bound-to-happen.
noun
canto know how to (a learned skill)to be likely towill (future prediction)
Easily confused
Examples
- 会。Wǒ huì yóu yǒng.I can swim.
- 会。Míng tiān huì xià yǔ.It will rain tomorrow.
- 会。Tā huì shuō yīng yǔ.He can speak English.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
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.
Grammar
Appears in
Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.