签约 (qiān yuē) — to sign a contract; to sign an agreement

Definition

签约 means to sign a contract or agreement. Near-synonym 签订 is more formal and written; 签署 emphasizes the act of signing an official document.

verb

to sign a contractto sign an agreement

签约。
Wǒ men xià ge yuè qiān yuē.
We will sign the contract next month.
，。
Wǒ men yǐ jīng qiān le yí gè yuē, míng tiān kāi shǐ gōng zuò.
We have already signed a contract and will start working tomorrow.
签约，。
Zài qiān yuē yí shì shàng, shuāng fāng dōu biǎo shì mǎn yì.
At the signing ceremony, both parties expressed satisfaction.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

约yuēcontract

签 (sign) and 约 (contract) together give the action of signing an agreement.

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 籤; 签 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 签 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (签, 签订) it is 簽; in others it is 籤.

竹韱籤

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

韱

韱xiān籤⁰qiān(r)

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 籤 shows 竹, bamboo, for the material, plus 韱 to give the sound; the simplified 签 is a later shorthand.

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 約; 约 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìrope

Sound part声符shēngfú

勺

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 約 uses 糸, a rope, for its meaning and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 约 is a later shorthand.

Appears in