术语 (shù yǔ) — technical term; terminology

Definition

noun
technical termterminology

Examples

  • 术语
    Zhè ge shù yǔ zài yī xué lǐ hěn cháng yòng.
    This term is very commonly used in medicine.
  • 术语
    Xué xí zhuān yè kè chéng shí yào jì zhù měi gè shù yǔ.
    When studying professional courses, you need to remember every technical term.
  • 术语
    Guó jì huì yì zhōng shǐ yòng le dà liàng fǎ lǜ shù yǔ.
    A large number of legal terms were used at the international conference.

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.

shùtechnique
word/language

术 names a field of technique, 语 names a word, giving the sense of a technical word.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhúshù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →
Appears in

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