梳理 (shū lǐ) — to comb (hair); to sort out, to organize (infor… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

梳理 pairs the literal sense of 梳 (combing hair) with the abstract sense of 整理 — sorting out information or thoughts. Unlike plain 整理, it suggests methodically untangling something messy or confused.

verb

to comb (hair)to sort outto organize (information, thoughts, etc.)

Examples

梳理。
Tā měi tiān zǎo shàng dōu huì shū lǐ tóu fa.
She combs her hair every morning.
梳理。
Wǒ men xū yào shū lǐ yí xià zhè xiē zī liào.
We need to sort out these materials.
梳理。
Tā huā le yí gè xiǎo shí shū lǐ zì jǐ de sī lù.
He spent an hour organizing his thoughts.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

理lǐarrange

梳 means to comb and 理 means to arrange, so the action is combing through and sorting things out.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

疏

疏shū梳shū

Same sound today

The shape pairs 木 (wood) with 疏, which gives the sound.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ理lǐ

Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Hygiene & Grooming Thinking & Cognition

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