Definition
社 (shè) is a bound form (always attached to another character) meaning 'society, organization, agency' — it appears in compounds like 出版社 (publishing house) or 旅行社 (travel agency). Unlike 社会 (shèhuì, 'society at large'), 社 refers to a specific organized group or institution; unlike 机构 (jīgòu, 'organization/institution'), 社 is more common in names of media, cultural, or service entities.
noun
(bound form) societyorganizationagency (used in many compounds)(historical) god of the land
Easily confused
- 在zàilook-alike(verb) to be (located) at; to exist; to be alive
- 射shèsound-aliketo shoot (an arrow, bullet, etc.)
- 堂tánglook-alike(noun) hall, large room for a specific purpose
- 蛇shésound-alikesnake
- 场chǎnglook-alike(classifier) used for performances, sports matches, and other public events
- 设shèsound-aliketo set up, to establish
- 至zhìlook-alike(verb, literary) to arrive
- 折shésound-aliketo snap, to break (of long thin objects like sticks, bones, pencils)
- 吐tǔlook-aliketo spit out (from the mouth)
Examples
- 。Zhè jiā chūbǎnshè chūbǎn le zuìxīn de kēxué zázhì.This publishing house published the latest science magazine.
- 。Tā cānjiā le yí gè zhìyuànzhě shè tuán.He joined a volunteer club.
- ，社稷。Zài gǔdài, jìsì shè jì shì fēicháng zhòngyào de yíshì.In ancient times, offering sacrifices to the gods of land and grain was a very important ceremony.
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