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知识 (zhī shi) — knowledge

Definition

知识 refers to facts and information one has learned — measured with 门 (一门知识). 智慧 is wisdom applied to life, and 学问/学识 point to a person's scholarly depth, which 知识 itself does not imply.

noun
knowledge
Measure word · 门

Examples

  • 知识。
    Tā yǒu hěn duō kē xué zhī shi.
    He has a lot of scientific knowledge.
  • 知识。
    Duō dú hǎo shū kě yǐ zēng zhǎng zhī shi.
    Reading good books can increase knowledge.
  • 知识。
    Zhè mén zhī shi hěn yǒu yòng.
    This field of knowledge is very useful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

知zhīknow
识shírecognize

The parts 知 and 识 both concern knowing, so together they mean accumulated knowledge.

Characters in this word

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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
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