意译 (yì yì) — free translation (translating meaning rather than literal words)

Definition

意译 (yì yì) is 'free translation' — rendering the meaning rather than translating word-for-word. It contrasts with 直译 ('literal translation'), which follows the source words directly.

noun
free translation (translating meaning rather than literal words)
Easily confused

Examples

  • “”意译“killtwobirdswithonestone”。
    Chéng yǔ "yì shí èr niǎo" tōng cháng yào yì yì chéng "kill two birds with one stone".
    The idiom 'one stone, two birds' is usually freely translated as 'kill two birds with one stone'.
  • 意译。
    yì yì Bǐ zhí yì gèng néng bǎo liú yuán wén de yǔ gǎn.
    Free translation preserves the original text's feel better than literal translation.
  • ，意译。
    Fān yì shī gē shí, yì yì wǎng wǎng bǐ zhí yì gèng hé shì.
    When translating poetry, free translation is often more suitable than literal translation.

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.

意yìmeaning
译yìtranslation

译 is done according to 意, rendering the meaning rather than the literal words.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 譯; 译 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
睪
睪yì譯yì
Same sound today

The traditional form 譯 uses 言 (say) with 睪 for its sound; the simplified 译 is a later shorthand.

Open 译 →

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