TongTong
Sign in

误会 (wù huì) — to misunderstand; to mistake; misunderstanding

Definition

误会 is a misunderstanding between people — a shared sense of 错误 (a mistake) and 隔阂 (emotional distance). Use 误解 for a more formal or intellectual misreading, not personal conflict.

to misunderstandto mistakemisunderstanding
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 误会。
    Nǐ wù huì le wǒ de yì si.
    You misunderstood my meaning.
  • 误会。
    Zhè shì yí gè wù huì.
    This is a misunderstanding.
  • 误会？
    Nǐ men zhī jiān yǒu shén me wù huì ma?
    Is there any misunderstanding between you?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

误wùwrongly
会huìunderstand

误 (wrongly) and 会 (understand) combine to mean to understand wrongly.

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 誤; 误 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
吳
吳wú誤wù
Same sound today

The traditional form 誤 uses 言 (speech) for meaning and 吳 for sound, giving the idea of speaking an error; the simplified 误 is a later shorthand.

Open 误 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Communication & Speech3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.