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合理 (hé lǐ) — reasonable, rational, sensible, fair

Definition

合理 means 'reasonable, rational' — typically of plans, prices, or explanations that make logical sense. 公平 and 公正 focus on people being treated fairly, while 理智 and 理性 describe a person's calm, level-headed thinking.

adjective
reasonablerationalsensiblefair

Examples

  • 合理，。
    Zhè ge jià gé hěn hé lǐ, wǒ jué dìng mǎi le.
    This price is very reasonable, I've decided to buy it.
  • ，。
    Tā de jiě shì bù hé lǐ, méi rén xiāng xìn tā.
    His explanation is not reasonable; nobody believes him.
  • 合理。
    Wǒ men yào hé lǐ dì ān pái gōng zuò shí wèn.
    We need to reasonably arrange our work time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

合héconform to
理lǐreason

合 means to conform to and 理 means reason or principle, so together they mean reasonable.

Characters in this word

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

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ理lǐ
Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Open 理 →
Appears in
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