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解读 (jiě dú) — to decipher; to decode; to interpret

Definition

解读 means 'interpret / decode', focusing on working out hidden or ambiguous meaning (texts, symbols, data). More scholarly than 解释 ('explain, clarify'); less literal than 译 ('translate').

verb
to decipherto decodeto interpret

Examples

  • 解读。
    Kǎo gǔ xué jiā zhèng zài nǔ lì jiě dú nà xiē gǔ lǎo de fú hào.
    Archaeologists are working hard to decipher those ancient symbols.
  • 解读。
    Měi gè dú zhě duì zhè shǒu shī de jiě dú dōu bù tóng.
    Every reader interprets this poem differently.
  • 解读。
    Kē xué jiā tōng guò fēn xī shù jù lái jiě dú huán jìng biàn huà.
    Scientists analyze data to interpret environmental changes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

解jiěinterpret
读dúread

解 conveys interpreting, and 读 conveys reading, giving the sense of reading and explaining.

Characters in this word

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

解 shows 刀 (knife) separating 角 (horn) from 牛 (cow), giving the picture of cutting up an ox.

Open 解 →

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 讀; 读 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
𧶠
𧶠𧶠讀dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 讀 is made of 言 ('to say') and 𧶠 (giving the sound); this description is about 讀, not 读.

Open 读 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Thinking & Cognition

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