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社交 (shè jiāo) — social interaction, social contact

Definition

社交 is 'socializing' as a general, everyday activity — making friends and mixing with people. 社会 means 'society' (the larger system), while 应酬 is socializing with an obligatory, often business-related feel.

noun
social interactionsocial contact

Examples

  • ，社交。
    Zài xiàn dài shè huì, shè jiāo fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    In modern society, social interaction is very important.
  • 社交。
    Tā xǐ huan cān jiā gè zhǒng shè jiāo huó dòng.
    He likes to participate in various social activities.
  • 社交，。
    Tā de shè jiāo quān zi hěn dà, péng you hěn duō.
    Her social circle is very large, and she has many friends.

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.

社shècommunity
交jiāointeraction

社 gives community and 交 gives interaction, hence social contact.

Characters in this word

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

社 joins 示 (god; deity) and 土 (soil), so its shape is about the god of the land.

Open 社 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & Social5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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