TongTong
Sign in

通气 (tōng qì) — to ventilate; to aerate; to keep each other informed; to give a heads-up (colloquial)

Definition

通气 has two distinct senses: literally, to ventilate a room; colloquially, to share information or coordinate quietly with someone beforehand (e.g. before a meeting).

verb
to ventilateto aerateto keep each other informedto give a heads-up (colloquial)

Examples

  • 通气。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān xū yào tōng qì.
    This room needs to be ventilated.
  • 。
    Yǒu rèn hé biàn huà gěi wǒ tōng gè qì.
    Give me a heads-up about any changes.
  • ，。
    Wǒ men jǐ gè yǐ jīng tōng le qì, zhè cì huì yì yí zhì zhī chí nǐ.
    The few of us have already coordinated; we'll all support you at this meeting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

通tōnglet pass
气qìair

通 means let pass, and 气 means air, so the word can mean ventilate or colloquially exchange information.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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