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社会关系 (shè huì guān xì) — social relations; one's social connections

Definition

A noun for the web of ties between people in a society — both large-scale 'social relations' and personal 'connections' that can help you get things done.

noun
social relationsone's social connections

Examples

  • ，社会关系。
    Zài zhōng guó, liáng hǎo de shè huì guān xì duì shì yè fā zhǎn hěn zhòng yào.
    In China, good social relations are very important for career development.
  • 社会关系。
    Tā tōng guò shè huì guān xì zhǎo dào le zhè fèn gōng zuò.
    He found this job through his social connections.
  • 社会关系。
    shè huì guān xì Wǎng luò kě yǐ bāng zhù nǐ jiě jué hěn duō wèn tí.
    A social relations network can help you solve many problems.

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.

社会society
社shèorganization会huìassociation
联合Coordinate
关系connection
关guānlink系xìtie
联合Coordinate

社会 joins 社 and 会 for society, while 关系 joins 关 and 系 for connections; together they mean connections in society.

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 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

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 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

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

系 is made by putting together 手 (hand) and 糸 (silk).

Open 系 →
Appears in
Friends & SocialSociety & Public Life

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