接 (jiē) — to answer (the phone), to pick up (someone), to receive (an object or person); to connect, to join, to catch (e.g., a ball or water)
Definition
接 (jiē) is the everyday verb for physically or literally receiving — a phone call, a person, an object, or catching a ball. Compare 接受, which takes abstract things (suggestions, facts, offers), and 接收, used for signals or admitting members.
verb
to answer (the phone)to pick up (someone)to receive (an object or person)to connectto jointo catch (e.g., a ball or water)
Examples
- 接。Wǒ měi tiān qù xué xiào jiē hái zi huí jiā.I go to school every day to pick up my child and go home.
- 接。Wǒ jiē le yí gè diàn huà jiù qù chī fàn le.I answered a phone call and then went to eat.
- 接。Qǐng yòng bēi zi jiē shuǐ.Please catch the water with a cup.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
The left part 扌 shows a hand, matching the sense of receiving something in the hand, while 妾 gives the character its sound.
Appears in
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