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调解 (tiáo jiě) — to mediate; to reconcile

Definition

调解 (tiáojiě) is a formal verb for a third party stepping in to resolve a dispute — stronger intervention than 和解 (the parties reconciling on their own). The mediator actively proposes solutions, unlike 调和, which can mean simply 'to blend/mix'.

verb
to mediateto reconcile

Examples

  • 调解。
    Shè qū gōng zuò rén yuán nǔ lì tiáo jiě shuāng fāng de máo dùn.
    Community workers work hard to mediate the conflicts between both sides.
  • 调解，。
    Jīng guò duō cì tiáo jiě, tā men zhōng yú dá chéng le xié yì.
    After many rounds of mediation, they finally reached an agreement.
  • 调解。
    Tā néng hěn hǎo dì tiáo jiě jiā tíng jiū fēn.
    She can mediate family disputes very well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

调tiáomediate
解jiěresolve

调 suggests easing tensions, and 解 suggests resolving them, so the word means bringing parties to agreement.

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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

解 shows 刀 (knife) separating 角 (horn) from 牛 (cow), giving the picture of cutting up an ox.

Open 解 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Conflict & Agreement

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