重新

• Pinyin: chóng xīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 重 = again (chóng reading); 新 = 亲 (close) + 斤 (axe) — originally meant freshly cut wood, extended to new

Meaning

Again; anew; once more. Used to indicate doing something over from the beginning.

Implies starting fresh or redoing something from scratch, unlike 又 (again) which simply indicates repetition. Often carries a sense of correction or improvement.

Examples

1. 这道题我做错了，要重新做一遍。 I got this problem wrong — I need to redo it.
2. 他决定重新开始学习英语。 He decided to start learning English again from scratch.
3. 这个文件有问题，请重新发一份。 This file has a problem — please resend a new copy.

Usage Guide

Context: correction, restart, improvement

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我们重新来一次吧。(Let's start over again.)
• 他重新写了一封信。(He rewrote the letter from scratch.)

Don't Say

• 不要混淆重新和又 — 重新 emphasizes starting over from scratch, while 又 simply means doing something again without necessarily starting over.

Origin & History

Compound of 重 (again, repeated) and 新 (new). Together they mean to do something afresh, with a new start.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal