词

• Pinyin: cí
• Hanzi breakdown: 词 = 讠 (speech radical) + 司 (to manage) — words managed in speech

Meaning

Word; term. The basic unit of language that carries meaning.

In Chinese linguistics, 词 refers to a word or morpheme, distinct from 字 (character). Also used in poetry — 宋词 refers to Song dynasty lyrics, a major literary genre. In modern usage, mainly refers to words in language.

Examples

1. 这个词是什么意思？ What does this word mean?
2. 学中文要记很多新词。 You need to memorise many new words when studying Chinese.
3. 请用这个词造一个句子。 Please make a sentence using this word.

Usage Guide

Context: language learning, linguistics, education

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个词怎么读？(How do you read this word?)
• 你知道这个词的意思吗？(Do you know the meaning of this word?)

Don't Say

• 不要混淆词和字 — 词 is a word (one or more characters forming a meaning unit), while 字 is a single character.

Origin & History

Originally written 辭, composed of 辛 (bitter, arduous) and 司 (to manage). Originally meant official speech or litigation, later narrowed to mean a word or lyric.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal