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诠释 (quán shì) — to interpret, to expound (a text, meaning, or abstract concept in a thorough or scholarly way)

Definition

诠释 is a scholarly, written verb for deeply interpreting meaning — stronger and more formal than 解释 ('explain') and 解读 ('decipher'). Use it for texts, art, or abstract concepts, not casual clarification.

verb
to interpretto expound (a text, meaning, or abstract concept in a thorough or scholarly way)

Examples

  • 诠释。
    Zhuān jiā duì zhè shǒu shī jìn xíng le shēn rù quán shì.
    The expert gave an in-depth interpretation of this poem.
  • 诠释。
    Tā de huà zuò quán shì le shēng mìng de yì yì.
    His paintings interpret the meaning of life.
  • 诠释。
    Wǒ men xū yào chóng xīn quán shì zhè ge lì shǐ shì jiàn.
    We need to reinterpret this historical event.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

诠quánexplain
释shìexplain

诠 and 释 both convey explaining, so together they mean to interpret or expound.

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 詮; 诠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
全
全quán詮quán
Same sound today

The traditional form 詮 pairs 言, tied to words, with 全, which gives the sound; the simplified 诠 is a later shorthand, not a historical breakdown.

Open 诠 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 釋; 释 is its simplified writing.

  • 釆釆biànto distinguish
  • 睪睪yìto release; to see

The traditional form 釋 puts 釆 (to distinguish) beside 睪, a part that gives the sound and means “to release; to see”; the simplified 释 is a later shortened shape.

Open 释 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

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