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条约 (tiáo yuē) — treaty, pact

Definition

条约 is a formal, binding pact between nations (peace treaty, trade treaty). 协议 and 协定 are broader 'agreements' that can be between countries or private parties; 合约 is mainly a commercial contract.

noun
treatypact
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 条约。
    Liǎng guó qiān shǔ le yí xiàng xīn de mào yì tiáo yuē.
    The two countries signed a new trade treaty.
  • 条约。
    Zhè ge hé píng tiáo yuē yǐ jīng chí xù le sān shí nián.
    This peace treaty has lasted for thirty years.
  • 条约。
    Rèn hé guó jiā dōu bú yīng gāi dān fāng miàn tuì chū guó jì tiáo yuē.
    No country should unilaterally withdraw from an international treaty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

条tiáoarticle
约yuēagreement

'条' article and '约' agreement combine for a treaty.

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

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 約; 约 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo約yuē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 約 uses 糸, a rope, for its meaning and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 约 is a later shorthand.

Open 约 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6International & Diplomacy

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