多样 (duō yàng) — diverse; varied | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A neutral adjective for 'diverse, varied' — focuses on having many different kinds. Unlike 多元 (pluralistic, often for culture/society/ideas), 多样 simply describes variety in things like products or styles.

adjective

diversevaried

Examples

多样。
Tā xǐ huan duō yàng de shū.
He likes diverse books.
多样。
Wǒ men xū yào duō yàng de xiǎng fǎ lái zuò jué dìng.
We need diverse ideas to make decisions.
。
Zhè ge gōng sī de chǎn pǐn hěn duō yàng.
This company's products are very diverse.

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.

多 means many, and 样 means kind, so 多样 describes many kinds.

Characters in this word

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

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 樣; 样 is its simplified writing.

木羕樣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

羕

羕yàng樣yàng

Same sound today

For 样, the traditional form 樣 pairs 木 (wood) with 羕 as a sound part.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4

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