图示 (tú shì) — to illustrate, to show with diagrams or pictures

Definition

图示 is a formal verb meaning to explain or present something through diagrams and pictures — more visual than the generic 说明. It's most common in written/technical contexts like reports and textbooks.

verb
to illustrate, to show with diagrams or pictures

Examples

  • 图示。
    Zhè ge bào gào yòng tú shì shuō míng le liú chéng.
    This report uses diagrams to explain the process.
  • 图示。
    Lǎo shī yòng tú shì bāng zhù xué shēng lǐ jiě kè wén.
    The teacher uses illustrations to help students understand the text.
  • 图示。
    Tā men yòng tú shì zhǎn shì le shí yàn jié guǒ.
    They illustrated the experimental results with diagrams.

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.

图túpicture
示shìshow

图 means picture or diagram and 示 means show; together they mean show something through pictures.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

  • 囗囗wéiwalled city
  • 啚啚bǐ

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

Open 图 →

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

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →

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