思辨 (sī biàn) — to think critically; (philosophy) to reason; to speculate

Definition

思辨 (sībiàn, NOT sāi) means 'to think critically / reason' — it pairs with nouns like 能力 ('critical-thinking ability'). In philosophy it specifically means to reason and speculate about fundamental questions.

to think critically(philosophy) to reasonto speculate

Examples

  • 思辨。
    Wǒ men xū yào xué huì dú lì sī biàn.
    We need to learn to think independently and critically.
  • 思辨。
    Zhé xué jiā tōng guò sī biàn lái tàn tǎo zhēn lǐ.
    Philosophers explore truth through reasoning and speculation.
  • 思辨。
    Tā jù yǒu hěn qiáng de sī biàn néng lì.
    He has a strong capacity for critical thinking.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

思sīthink
辨biànanalyze

思 (think) and 辨 (analyze) together mean critical reasoning.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →

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
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
辡
辡biàn辨biàn
Same sound today

辨 pairs 刀 (knife) with 辡, made of two knives. The two knives suggest two prisoners accusing each other, giving different accounts that must be sorted out.

Open 辨 →

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