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词语 (cí yǔ) — word, term, expression

Definition

A general word for any word, term, or short expression in Chinese. It is broader than 字 (a single character) and more about fixed terms than 词, which can also mean 'lyrics' or 'what someone says'.

noun
wordtermexpression
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 词语。
    Qǐng xiě xià zhè ge cí yǔ.
    Please write down this word.
  • 词语。
    Zhè ge cí yǔ hěn nán lǐ jiě.
    This term is hard to understand.
  • 。
    Tā xué huì le hěn duō xīn cí yǔ.
    He learned many new expressions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

词cíword
语yǔlanguage

词 and 语 both refer to linguistic units, so together they cover words and phrases.

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 詞; 词 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī詞cí(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詞 uses 言, meaning speech, and 司 to show how it was pronounced; the simplified 词 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 词 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 3Language

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