余地 (yú dì) — leeway, margin (room for flexibility or adjustm… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

余地 is figurative 'room to maneuver' — abstract leeway or flexibility, not a physical space (use 空间 for that). Negotiation/argument often takes 留余地 or 没有余地.

noun

leewaymargin (room for flexibility or adjustment)

Examples

，余地。
Zài zhì dìng jì huà shí, yào liú chū yì xiē yú dì.
When making plans, you should leave some leeway.
，余地。
Tā shuō huà hěn xiǎo xīn, cóng bù gěi zì jǐ liú yú dì.
He speaks very carefully and never leaves himself any leeway.
余地，。
Zhè jiàn shì yǐ jīng méi yǒu yú dì le, wǒ men bì xū mǎ shàng jué dìng.
There is no room for maneuver in this matter; we must decide immediately.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

余yúleftover; spare

地dìground

余 means leftover, and 地 means ground; together they picture spare ground as leeway.

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 餘; 余 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

余

余yú餘Yú

Same sound today

The traditional form 餘 pairs 食 (food) with 余 as its sound part; the simplified 余 is a later abbreviation.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土也地

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

也yě地dì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts

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