默契 (mò qì) — (noun) tacit understanding, rapport, unspoken agreement; (adjective) in sync, well-coordinated, harmonious (of teamwork or relationships)

Definition

默契 is a tacit, unspoken understanding between people — built over time, not arranged in advance. Unlike 配合 or 协调, which describe active coordination, 默契 names the effortless harmony that results.

noun
tacit understandingrapportunspoken agreement
adjective
in syncwell-coordinatedharmonious (of teamwork or relationships)

Examples

  • 默契,。
    Tā men liǎ pèi hé dé tè bié mò qì, yí gè yǎn shén jiù zhī dào duì fāng xiǎng shén me.
    The two of them work together so seamlessly — one look and they know what the other is thinking.
  • 默契。
    Duō nián de hé zuò ràng tā men zhī jiān yǒu le hěn shēn de mò qì.
    Years of collaboration have given them a deep tacit understanding.
  • 默契,。
    Zhè duì shuāng bāo tāi zuò shén me dōu hěn mò qì, hǎo xiàng xīn líng xiāng tōng yí yàng.
    These twins are in sync in everything they do, as if they share a telepathic connection.

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.

默mòsilent
契qìagreement

默 silent and 契 agreement combine in 默契 to mean tacit understanding.

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
黑
黑hēi默mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

默 pairs 黑 with 犬 (dog), and 黑 gives the sound.

Open 默 →

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
大大dàperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
㓞
㓞㓞契qì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

契 pairs 大 (person) with 㓞, which means 'to engrave,' showing a person making an agreement or carving something with a knife.

Open 契 →

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