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语句 (yǔ jù) — (linguistics) sentence, utterance; (computing) statement

Definition

语句 refers to a written sentence or spoken utterance, used in linguistics and everyday contexts like example sentences and quoted speech. It also names a line of code in programming (the computing sense of 'statement').

noun
(linguistics) sentenceutterance(computing) statement

Examples

  • 语句。
    Zhè ge yǔ jù biǎo dá le zuò zhě de hé xīn guān diǎn.
    This sentence expresses the author's core viewpoint.
  • ，语句。
    Zài hàn yǔ zhōng, yí gè wán zhěng de yǔ jù xū yào yǒu zhǔ yǔ hé wèi yǔ.
    In Chinese, a complete sentence needs a subject and a predicate.
  • 语句。
    Chéng xù yuán xū yào jiǎn chá měi yì háng yǔ jù de yǔ fǎ.
    Programmers need to check the syntax of each line of code.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

语yǔspeech/language
句jùsentence/clause

“语” (speech/language) and “句” (sentence/clause) come together to name a sentence or statement.

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 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 →

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
丩丩jiūto entangle
Sound part声符shēngfú
口
口kǒu句jù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

句 pairs 丩, originally two entangled ropes and giving a sense of entangling, with 口 as the sound part.

Open 句 →
Appears in
Language

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