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认知 (rèn zhī) — to recognize, to realize (often used as 认知到)

Definition

认知 means to come to recognize or realize something, often a fact or situation (typically as 认知到). It is more formal and cognitive than 意识 ('awareness/consciousness') and broader than 了解 ('understand/find out').

verb
to recognizeto realize (often used as 认知到)

Examples

  • 认知？
    Nǐ yǐ jīng rèn zhī dào zhè ge wèn tí de yán zhòng xìng le ma?
    Have you realized the seriousness of this problem?
  • 认知，。
    Wǒ men xū yào rèn zhī zì jǐ de bù zú, cái néng jìn bù.
    We need to recognize our own shortcomings in order to make progress.
  • 认知。
    Tā zhú jiàn rèn zhī dào le shè huì de biàn huà.
    He gradually became aware of the changes in society.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

认rènrecognize
知zhīknow

认 and 知 both mean know or recognize, together cover cognition and awareness.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
讠Written in full as言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén认rèn
Same sound today

The left part 讠 shows speech, and the right part 人 gives the sound.

Open 认 →

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

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

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