直指 (zhí zhī) — to directly point at; to aim directly at (something or someone)

Definition

直指 (zhí zhǐ) means to point or aim directly at a target without detour — sharper and more forceful than 指出, which only means 'point out' (state a fact). Used for criticism, policies, or arguments that strike the core issue head-on.

verb
to directly point atto aim directly at (something or someone)

Examples

  • 直指。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng zhí zhī dāng qián shè huì cún zài de hé xīn wèn tí.
    This article directly points at the core problems existing in current society.
  • 直指。
    Tā de pī píng zhí zhī le guǎn lǐ céng de shī wù.
    His criticism directly targeted the management's mistakes.
  • 直指。
    Zhè xiàng zhèng cè zhí zhī mín shēng gǎi shàn de guān jiàn lǐng yù.
    This policy directly aims at key areas of people's livelihood improvement.

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.

直zhístraight
指zhǐpoint

直 gives 'straight' or 'direct' to 指 'point', meaning to aim directly at something.

Characters in this word

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

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

Open 直 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
旨
旨zhǐ指zhǐ
Same sound today

The left part 扌 is the hand form 手. The right part 旨 gives the sound.

Open 指 →

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