对象

• Pinyin: duì xiàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 对 = simplified from 對, meaning toward; 象 = pictograph of an elephant, extended to mean image or form

Meaning

Object; target; partner. Can refer to the target of an action or study, or colloquially to a romantic partner (boyfriend/girlfriend).

In formal contexts, 对象 means the object or target of a study, discussion, or action. In everyday spoken Chinese, 对象 is widely used to mean boyfriend or girlfriend. The question 你有对象吗 is a common way to ask if someone is in a relationship.

Examples

1. 这个研究的对象是大学生的学习习惯。 The subjects of this research are university students' study habits.
2. 你有对象了吗？什么时候带来给我们看看？ Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? When will you bring them for us to meet?
3. 我们要先确定服务的对象是谁。 We need to first determine who the target audience of the service is.

Usage Guide

Context: relationships, work, academic

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她已经有对象了。(She already has a boyfriend/girlfriend.)
• 这项政策的对象是年轻人。(The target of this policy is young people.)

Don't Say

• 我的对象是一本书 (Don't use 对象 to refer to inanimate objects you own — in the romantic sense it means partner, in the formal sense it means target/subject of study)

Origin & History

Compound of 对 (toward, facing) and 象 (image, shape), literally 'the image one faces' — what one is directed toward.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal