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会意 (huì yì) — to understand implicitly, to catch on, to cotton on

Definition

In Chinese linguistics, 会意 is one of the Six Methods (六书) of forming characters by combining the meanings of existing elements. As a verb, it means to grasp unspoken meaning — 'to catch on' to what someone means without being told outright.

verb
to understand implicitlyto catch onto cotton on
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，会意。
    Tā huà shuō dào yí bàn, wǒ jiù huì yì le.
    He said half a sentence, and I already caught on.
  • ，会意。
    Nǐ bú yòng jiě shì, wǒ yǐ jīng huì yì le.
    You don't need to explain; I already understand.
  • ，会意。
    Tā wēi wēi yí xiào, wǒ mǎ shàng huì yì le tā de yì si.
    She gave a faint smile, and I immediately understood her meaning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

会huìunderstand
意yìmeaning

To catch on, 会 means understand and 意 means meaning.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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