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知道 (zhī dào) — to know (a fact, information); to be aware of

Definition

知道 is for knowing a fact or piece of information. Use 认识 for knowing a person, and 懂/懂得 for understanding how something works or what it means.

verb
to know (a fact, information)to be aware of

Examples

  • 知道。
    Wǒ zhī dào jīn tiān hěn lěng.
    I know it's cold today.
  • 知道？
    Nǐ zhī dào wǒ jiā zài nǎ lǐ ma?
    Do you know where my home is?
  • 。
    Wǒ bù zhī dào tā wèi shén me gāo xìng.
    I don't know why she is happy.

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
道dàoknow

知 and 道 both mean know, so the word expresses awareness of a fact.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
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