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机制 (jī zhì) — mechanism (of a system, machine, or organism)

Definition

A noun for the 'mechanism' of a system, process, or organism — how parts interact, not the parts themselves. 机构 refers to the organization itself; 机械 refers to physical machines or a rigid 'mechanical' style.

noun
mechanism (of a system, machine, or organism)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 机制。
    Shì chǎng jī zhì zài tiáo jié jīng jì zhōng qǐ guān jiàn zuò yòng.
    The market mechanism plays a key role in regulating the economy.
  • 机制。
    Rén tǐ miǎn yì jī zhì néng dǐ kàng bìng dú.
    The human immune mechanism can resist viruses.
  • 机制。
    Zhè tái jī qì de gōng zuò jī zhì hěn fù zá.
    The working mechanism of this machine is very complex.

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.

机jīmachine
制zhìsystem

机, a machine, and 制, a system or set of rules, together name how parts work and interact.

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 →

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

The form 制 pairs 朱 (tree) with 刀 (knife), showing the act of cutting a tree.

Open 制 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Abstract ConceptsTechnology & Engineering

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