结社 (jié shè) — to form an association; to organize a society

Definition

结社 means to organize people into an association or society, usually with shared goals. Common in formal and legal contexts like 自由 (freedom of association).

verb
to form an associationto organize a society

Examples

  • 结社。
    jié shè Zì yóu shì xiàn fǎ fù yǔ gōng mín de jī běn quán lì.
    Freedom of association is a basic right granted to citizens by the constitution.
  • 。
    Tā men jié le yí gè xué shù yán jiū shè.
    They formed an academic research society.
  • 结社。
    Zhè ge guó jiā duì jié shè de guǎn lǐ fēi cháng yán gé.
    This country's regulation of forming associations is very strict.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

结jiéform
社shèassociation

结 means form, and 社 means association; the word describes forming an association.

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 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí結jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Open 结 →

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

社 joins 示 (god; deity) and 土 (soil), so its shape is about the god of the land.

Open 社 →

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