历史学 (lì shǐ xué) — history (as an academic discipline)

Definition

历史学 refers to history as an academic discipline or field of study (e.g. a university major or research area), not the historical events themselves — those are 历史.

noun
history (as an academic discipline)

Examples

  • 历史学。
    Tā dà xué dú de shì lì shǐ xué zhuān yè.
    He majored in history in college.
  • 历史学。
    Zhè wèi jiào shòu cóng shì lì shǐ xué yán jiū yǐ jīng sān shí nián le.
    This professor has been conducting historical research for thirty years.
  • 历史学。
    Xué xí lì shǐ xué néng bāng zhù wǒ men lǐ jiě rén lèi shè huì de fā zhǎn.
    Studying history helps us understand the development of human society.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

历史history
历lìpast史shǐhistory
联合Side by side
学xuéfield of study

历史 names the past and 学 names a field of study, giving the academic study of history.

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 歷; 历 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 历 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (简历, 经历) it is 歷; in others (日历) it is 曆.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
厤
厤lì歷lì
Same sound today

The form 歷 pairs 止 with the sound part 厤.

Open 历 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old drawing showed someone holding a flag-like or writing tool, indicating the act of recording events; the exact inner shape is unclear.

Open 史 →

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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