经济 (jīng jì) — (noun) economy; (adjective) economic | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Noun: the economy of a country/region. Adjective: 'economic,' modifying topics like development (经济发展) or problems (经济问题). Broader than 节约 ('to economize/save').

noun

economy

adjective

economic

Examples

经济。
Wǒ men zài xué xí shì jiè jīng jì.
We are studying the world economy.
经济。
jīng jì Fā zhǎn duì guó jiā hěn zhòng yào.
Economic development is very important for the country.
经济。
Tā guān xīn jīng jì wèn tí.
He cares about economic issues.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

经 manage and 济 aid together form the idea of managing and aiding, now economy.

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 經; 经 is its simplified writing.

糹巠經

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mìsilk; thread

Sound part声符shēngfú

巠

巠jīng經jīng

Same sound today

The traditional form 經 combines 糹 (silk; thread) with 巠, which gives the sound.

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 濟; 济 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

齊

齊qí濟jì

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

The traditional form 濟 pairs 水 (water) with 齊, which gives the sound; the simplified 济 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 HSK 2.0 Level 4 Economy & Trade 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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