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想到 (xiǎng dào) — to think of, to come up with (an idea or solution); to recall, to call to mind; to anticipate, to foresee

Definition

verb
to think ofto come up with (an idea or solution)to recallto call to mindto anticipateto foresee

Examples

  • 想到。
    Wǒ xiǎng dào le yí gè hǎo bàn fǎ.
    I thought of a good solution.
  • ，想到。
    Kàn dào zhè zhāng zhào piàn, wǒ xiǎng dào le yǐ qián de shì.
    Seeing this picture, I recalled things from the past.
  • 想到。
    Tā zǎo jiù xiǎng dào le zhè ge jié guǒ.
    He anticipated this result long ago.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

想xiǎngthink
到dàoarrive

想 gives the act of thinking, while 到 points to the thought arriving or being reached.

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, mind
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng想xiǎng
Same sound today

想 has 心 (heart, mind) below 相 (to look at); the shape shows the mind looking at or considering something, and 相 also gives the sound.

Open 想 →

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
至至zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo到dào
Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.

Open 到 →
Appears in
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