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圈子 (quān zi) — circle, ring (literal shape); (social) circle, clique, network

Definition

圈子 means a group of people who share a background, profession, or interest — like a 'circle' of friends or insiders. Less politically charged than 派别 or 党, which mean a faction or party.

noun
circlering (literal shape)(social) circlecliquenetwork
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 圈子。
    Tā zài zhǐ shàng huà le yí gè quān zi.
    He drew a circle on the paper.
  • 圈子。
    Zhè ge xué shù quān zi lǐ de rén dōu hěn yōu xiù.
    The people in this academic circle are all excellent.
  • 圈子。
    Tā xǐ huan kuò dà zì jǐ de shè jiāo quān zi.
    She likes to expand her social circle.

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.

圈quāncircle
子zǐ

圈 gives the idea of a ring or group, and 子 completes it into a common word for that kind of thing.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
卷
卷juàn圈quān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

圈 is made of the outer 囗, an enclosure shape, and the inner 卷, which gives the sound.

Open 圈 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & SocialShapes

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.