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相识 (xiāng shí) — to get to know each other (verb); acquaintance (noun)

Definition

相识 (xiāng shí) means getting to know each other mutually — a reciprocal verb and a noun for the resulting relationship. Stronger than 结识 (often used for meeting someone notable) and more literary than 认识.

to get to know each other (verb)acquaintance (noun)

Examples

  • ，。
    Wǒ men zài yí cì huì yì shàng xiāng shí, hòu lái chéng le hǎo péng you.
    We got to know each other at a conference and later became good friends.
  • 相识，。
    xiāng shí Duō nián, tā de xìng gé wǒ hěn liǎo jiě.
    Having known each other for many years, I understand his personality well.
  • ，。
    Zhè wèi shì wǒ de lǎo xiāng shí, wǒ men cóng xiǎo yì qǐ zhǎng dà.
    This is an old acquaintance of mine; we grew up together.

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.

相xiāngmutual
识shíknow

相 brings mutual or each-other sense, and 识 adds knowing, giving acquaintance or knowing one another.

Characters in this word

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí識zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 识 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & Social

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