西哲 (xī zhé) — Western philosophy (as a field of study); Western philosophers or sages (collectively)

Definition

Short for 'Western philosophy' or, collectively, 'Western philosophers' (康德, 黑格尔, etc.). Used in academic writing, often paired with 国学 or 中哲 to mean 'Eastern and Western thought'.

noun
Western philosophy (as a field of study)Western philosophers or sages (collectively)

Examples

  • 西哲
    Tā zhuān gōng xī zhé, duì kāng dé hé hēi gé ěr dōu yǒu shēn rù yán jiū.
    He specializes in Western philosophy and has done in-depth research on Kant and Hegel.
  • 西哲
    Zhè běn 《xī zhé dǎo lùn》 shì běn kē shēng de bì dú shū mù.
    This 'Introduction to Western Philosophy' is required reading for undergraduates.
  • 西哲
    Cóng kǒng zǐ dào xī zhé, dōng xī fāng sī xiǎng gè yǒu qí dú tè jià zhí.
    From Confucius to Western philosophers, Eastern and Western thought each have their unique value.

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.

西west
zhéphilosophy/sage

西 means western and 哲 means philosophy or sages, so the word refers to Western thought or thinkers.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 西 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhézhé
Same sound today

The form 哲 pairs 口 (mouth) with 折, which gives the sound.

Open 哲 →
Appears in

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