建立 (jiàn lì) — to establish, to set up, to found

Definition

A general verb for 'to establish' — used for concrete things (organizations, relationships, libraries) and abstract systems alike. 建 is the bare building verb; 设立 is more formal and written, for institutions and rules.

verb
to establishto set upto found

Examples

  • 建立
    Wǒ men shuāng fāng jiàn lì le hé zuò guān xì.
    Both sides have established a cooperative relationship.
  • 建立
    Xué xiào jiàn lì le yì suǒ xīn tú shū guǎn.
    The school set up a new library.
  • 建立
    Zhè ge guó jiā kāi shǐ jiàn lì xīn de zhì dù.
    This country began to establish a new system.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

set up

建 and 立 both mean to set up, so together they express founding or establishing.

Characters in this word

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

  • yǐn

The shape 建 shows 廴 and 聿, but it comes from an older drawing of a hand planting a pole into a base; the lower part of 聿 is not a brush.

Open 建 →

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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