系列赛 (xì liè sài) — series competition; tournament series

Definition

A sports tournament made up of a connected series of matches (e.g. a playoff round-robin or multi-leg series), not a single game. Distinct from 比赛 (a single match) or 锦标赛 (a championship tournament).

noun
series competitiontournament series

Examples

  • 系列赛。
    Zhè ge xì liè sài de guàn jūn jiǎng jīn hěn gāo.
    The prize money for this series competition is very high.
  • 系列赛。
    Tā cān jiā le qù nián de xì liè sài.
    He participated in last year's series competition.
  • 系列赛。
    xì liè sài Yí gòng jìn xíng le shí chǎng bǐ sài.
    A total of ten matches were held in the series.

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.

系列series
系xìlink列lièarrange
联合Side by side
赛sàicompetition

系 (link) and 列 (arrange) form 系列 (series), which describes connected 赛 (competitions).

Characters in this word

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 →

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

列 combines 歹, drawn as skeletal remains, and 刀, a knife, to depict tearing apart.

Open 列 →

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 賽; 赛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
塞
塞sāi賽sài
Same sound today

The traditional form 賽 uses 貝 (shell) for meaning and 塞 for sound. The simplified 赛 is a later shorthand.

Open 赛 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.