会师 (huì shī) — to join forces, to meet up (of armies or groups)

Definition

Literary/military verb meaning 'to join forces, to link up' — separate troops or groups meeting at one point. Mostly used in writing or reports; for casual 'meet up', say 见面 or 碰头.

verb
to join forcesto meet up (of armies or groups)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā men zài zhàn chǎng shàng huì guò yí cì shī.
    They have met up once on the battlefield.
  • 会师。
    Míng nián wǒ men zài shàng hǎi huì shī.
    We will meet up in Shanghai next year.
  • 会师，。
    Gè dì zhì yuàn zhě zài zāi qū huì shī, gòng tóng jiù yuán.
    Volunteers from various places gathered in the disaster area to rescue together.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

会huìmeet
师shīarmy

会 (meet) and 师 (army) combine to mean armies meet or join forces.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 師; 师 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤
  • 帀帀zā

The traditional form 師 combines 𠂤 and 帀; the simplified 师 is not the form explained here.

Open 师 →

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