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答辩 (dá biàn) — to defend one's thesis or dissertation (in an academic viva); to reply to an accusation; to defend oneself (in court or formal debate)

Definition

答辩 pairs with 论文/指控 in formal, public defenses — thesis viva or court-style defense. Unlike 辩解 (which just justifies to a listener), 答辩 is a structured, in-person reply facing examiners or accusers.

verb
to defend one's thesis or dissertation (in an academic viva)to reply to an accusationto defend oneself (in court or formal debate)

Examples

  • 答辩。
    Tā míng tiān yào cān jiā dá biàn.
    He has to attend his thesis defense tomorrow.
  • ，答辩。
    Miàn duì zhǐ kòng, tā xū yào zhǔn bèi dá biàn.
    Facing the accusation, he needs to prepare his defense.
  • 答辩。
    Bì yè qián měi gè xué shēng dōu yào wán chéng dá biàn.
    Every student must complete their oral defense before graduation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

答dáanswer
辩biàndefend

答辩 links 答 (answer) and 辩 (defend) in replying to questions.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé答dá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

答 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 合 as the sound part; the bamboo top replaced an older grass part by mistake.

Open 答 →

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 辯; 辩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
辡
辡biàn辯biàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 辯 pairs 言, meaning say, with 辡, which gives the sound; the simplified 辩 is a later shorthand.

Open 辩 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Exams & GradesSchool & Education

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