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拒绝 (jù jué) — to refuse, to decline, to reject

Definition

拒绝 means to refuse or decline an offer, invitation, or request — a direct, neutral term. 谢绝 is the more polite 'decline', while 退 is used for withdrawing from or returning something.

verb
to refuseto declineto reject

Examples

  • 拒绝。
    Tā jù jué le wǒ de yāo qǐng.
    He refused my invitation.
  • 拒绝。
    Wǒ jù jué le tā men de bāng zhù.
    I declined their help.
  • 拒绝？
    Nǐ wèi shén me yào jù jué tā de jiàn yì?
    Why do you want to reject his suggestion?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

拒jùrefuse
绝juécut off

拒 means refuse and 绝 means cut off or refuse, so together they mean to reject.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
巨
巨jù拒⁰jù
Same sound today

拒 pairs 扌 (hand) with 巨, a part that gives the sound.

Open 拒 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →
Appears in
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