理智 (lǐ zhì) — (noun) reason, rationality; (adjective) rational, level-headed

Definition

理智 highlights the cool, level-headed use of reason to resist emotion — the adjective contrasts with 理性, which names the thinking faculty itself. Closest to 'rational' as an attitude, less about logical fairness than 合理.

noun
reasonrationality
adjective
rationallevel-headed

Examples

  • 理智，。
    Zài guān jiàn shí kè yào bǎo chí lǐ zhì, bú yào chōng dòng.
    You must stay rational at critical moments and not act impulsively.
  • 理智。
    Tā yòng lǐ zhì shuō fú le dà jiā.
    He convinced everyone with reason.
  • 理智，。
    Tā shì yí gè hěn lǐ zhì de rén, cóng bú huì bèi qíng xù zuǒ yòu.
    She is a very rational person and never gets swayed by emotions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

理lǐreason
智zhìwisdom

理 is reason and 智 is wisdom, so 理智 combines both to mean rational self-control.

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
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.

Open 理 →

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

The early form 智 used 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to pass knowledge to a child.

Open 智 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & TraitsThinking & Cognition5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.