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妙计 (miào jì) — brilliant scheme, clever plan

Definition

noun
brilliant schemeclever plan
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 妙计。
    Tā de miào jì ràng jūn duì qǔ dé le shèng lì.
    His brilliant scheme led the army to victory.
  • ，妙计。
    Zài tán pàn zhōng, tā tí chū le yì tiáo miào jì.
    During the negotiations, she proposed a brilliant idea.
  • 妙计。
    Zhè ge miào jì bāng wǒ men jiě jué le dà wèn tí.
    This clever plan helped us solve a big problem.

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.

妙miàoclever
计jìplan

妙 means clever and 计 means plan, together they denote a brilliant scheme.

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
少shǎo妙miào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

妙 combines 女, a woman, with 少, which gives the sound.

Open 妙 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 計; 计 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 計 pairs 言 (say) with 十 (all). The simplified 计 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical shape.

Open 计 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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