含意 (hán yì) — implied meaning; connotation | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

implied meaningconnotation

Examples

含意。
Zhè shǒu shī de hán yì hěn shēn kè.
The implied meaning of this poem is very profound.
含意。
Nǐ méi yǒu lǐ jiě tā huà lǐ de hán yì.
You didn't understand the connotation in her words.
含意。
Tā wēi xiào de hán yì zhǐ yǒu wǒ zhī dào.
Only I know the meaning behind his smile.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

含háncontain

意yìmeaning

含 means contain and 意 means meaning, so meaning is held inside.

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.

今口含

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

今

今jīn含hán

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

含 is built from 口 (mouth) and 今 (jīn). The 口 part is about the mouth, while 今 gives the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

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