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情报 (qíng bào) — (noun) intelligence (military, political, or commercial); (noun) information (in a strategic or analytical context)

Definition

情报 is 'intelligence' — secret or strategically analyzed information (military, political, commercial). 情报 is narrower and more strategic than the general 信息, and unlike 智力 it is NOT a mental ability.

noun
intelligence (military, political, or commercial)information (in a strategic or analytical context)

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de qíng bào bù mén fēi cháng qiáng dà.
    This country's intelligence agency is very powerful.
  • 情报。
    Tā men tōng guò fēn xī shì chǎng qíng bào zuò chū le zhèng què jué cè.
    They made the right decision by analyzing market intelligence.
  • 情报。
    Zhè fèn qíng bào lái zì kě kào lái yuán.
    This piece of intelligence comes from a reliable source.

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.

情qíngsituation
报bàoreport

情 refers to the situation and 报 to a report, together meaning a report of situational information.

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
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Military & Defense2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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