TongTong
Sign in

辨识 (biàn shí) — to identify; to recognize; to discern

Definition

verb
to identifyto recognizeto discern

Examples

  • 辨识。
    Tā néng cóng rén qún zhōng xùn sù biàn shí chū xián yí rén.
    He can quickly identify the suspect from the crowd.
  • 辨识。
    Zhè fú huà shàng de qiān míng hěn nán biàn shí.
    The signature on this painting is hard to recognize.
  • 辨识。
    Zhuān jiā tōng guò qì wèi biàn shí le zhè zhǒng yào cái de zhēn wěi.
    The expert identified the authenticity of this medicinal herb by its smell.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

辨biàndiscern
识shírecognize

辨 gives discern, 识 gives recognize, to identify something.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
辡
辡biàn辨biàn
Same sound today

辨 pairs 刀 (knife) with 辡, made of two knives. The two knives suggest two prisoners accusing each other, giving different accounts that must be sorted out.

Open 辨 →

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 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí識zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 识 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.