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离题 (lí tí) — to digress, to stray from the topic

Definition

离 (lí) means 'to depart from'; 离题 literally means 'to leave the topic', i.e. to digress. Use it for written work or speeches that wander off the subject.

verb
to digressto stray from the topic

Examples

  • 离题，。
    Tā de fā yán cháng cháng lí tí, ràng tīng zhòng gǎn dào kùn huò.
    His speeches often digress, confusing the audience.
  • 。
    Tā jiǎng zhe jiǎng zhe jiù lí le tí.
    He was talking and then digressed.
  • 离题。
    Xiě zuò wén shí yào zhù yì bú yào lí tí.
    When writing an essay, be careful not to digress.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

离líleave
题títopic

“离” means leave and “题” means topic, so the word pictures leaving the subject.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 離; 离 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
离
离lí離lí
Same sound today

The traditional form 離 pairs 隹, a bird, with the sound part 离; the simplified 离 is a shorthand. This form first wrote a black-naped oriole, and the sound was borrowed for 'leave'.

Open 离 →

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 題; 题 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì題tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 题, the traditional form 題 uses 是 for sound and 頁 for head, and means 'forehead'.

Open 题 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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