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简直 (jiǎn zhí) — simply; really (used to express exaggeration or strong emphasis, often with 太…了, 就是, or 像…一样)

Definition

简直 emphasizes exaggeration ('simply, really, utterly') in spoken exclamations with 太…了 or 像…一样. It is stronger and more rhetorical than 根本, which only negates ('not at all').

adverb
simplyreally (used to express exaggeration or strong emphasis, often with 太…了, 就是, or 像…一样)

Examples

  • 简直！
    Zhè jiān fáng zi jiǎn zhí tài piào liang le!
    This room is simply gorgeous!
  • 简直。
    Tā shuō huà de sù dù jiǎn zhí xiàng huǒ chē yí yàng kuài.
    The speed of his speech is really as fast as a train.
  • 简直。
    Nǐ jiǎn zhí shì wǒ jiàn guò zuì nǔ lì de xué shēng.
    You are really the most hardworking student I've met.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

简jiǎnsimple
直zhístraight

简 gives the sense of simple, and 直 gives straight; together they intensify to simply.

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 簡; 简 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhú
Sound part声符shēngfú
間
閒xián簡jiǎn
Same sound today

In the traditional form 簡, 竹 (bamboo) is paired with 間 (also written 閒) as a sound part; the simplified 简 is a later shorthand.

Open 简 →

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

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

Open 直 →

Grammar

Appears in
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