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机会 (jī huì) — opportunity, chance

Definition

机会 is a general word for 'opportunity / chance' — what you get when a situation allows you to do something. It is broader than 时机, which is specifically the right moment in time to act.

noun
opportunitychance
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，机会。
    Wǒ xiǎng qù zhōng guó wán, zhè shì yí gè hǎo jī huì.
    I want to go to China to have fun; this is a good opportunity.
  • 机会，。
    Rú guǒ nǐ yǒu zhè ge jī huì, yí dìng yào shì shì.
    If you have this opportunity, be sure to give it a try.
  • 机会。
    Tā xī wàng néng dé dào yí gè gōng zuò jī huì.
    He hopes to get a job opportunity.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

机jīoccasion
会huìencounter

机 as a timely moment and 会 as an encounter combine to mean a chance.

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →
Appears in
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