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接待 (jiē dài) — to receive (a visitor or guest), to admit

Definition

接待 means receiving or hosting guests, clients, or visitors — neutral register, more formal than 招待 (which emphasizes entertaining/serving) and more general than 迎接 (which focuses on welcoming).

verb
to receive (a visitor or guest)to admit

Examples

  • ，接待。
    Jīn tiān yǒu zhòng yào kè rén lái, wǒ fù zé jiē dài tā men.
    Important guests are coming today, I'm in charge of receiving them.
  • 接待。
    Wǒ men gōng sī zhuān mén jiē dài hǎi wài kè hù.
    Our company specializes in receiving overseas clients.
  • 接待。
    Zhè cì huì yì ān pái le zhuān rén jiē dài cān huì zhě.
    This conference arranged dedicated staff to receive the attendees.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

接jiēreceive
待dàitreat

接 (receive) and 待 (treat) combine to mean receiving guests.

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shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
妾
妾qiè接jiē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, matching the sense of receiving something in the hand, while 妾 gives the character its sound.

Open 接 →

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
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì待dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

Open 待 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Friends & Social

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