短期 (duǎn qī) — short term (noun); short-term (adjective) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A time-period noun/adjective ('short term') used for plans, goals, or contracts spanning days to months — not momentary like 短暂, which describes something fleeting.

short term (noun)short-term (adjective)

Examples

短期。
Zhè shì yí gè duǎn qī xiàng mù.
This is a short-term project.
短期。
Gōng sī xū yào duǎn qī yuán gōng.
The company needs short-term employees.
短期。
duǎn qī De lǚ xíng ràng wǒ hěn kāi xīn.
The short-term trip made me very happy.

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.

期qīperiod

'短' short, '期' period; together: a short period.

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.

矢豆短

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu短duǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí期qī

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Time (Abstract)

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.