国会

• Pinyin: guó huì
• Hanzi breakdown: 国 = 囗 (enclosure) + 玉 (jade); 会 = 人 (person) + 云 (cloud, phonetic), meaning assembly

Meaning

Parliament; congress; national legislature. The supreme legislative body of a country.

Used to refer to foreign legislatures like the U.S. Congress (美国国会), British Parliament, Japanese Diet, etc. China's legislature is called 全国人民代表大会 (National People's Congress), often abbreviated 全国人大, not 国会. Common collocations: 国会议员 (congressman/MP), 国会大厦 (Capitol building).

Examples

1. 这项法案在国会引发了激烈辩论，反对派议员提出了强烈抗议。 This bill sparked fierce debate in Congress, with opposition members raising strong protests.
2. 美国国会由参议院和众议院两部分组成。 The U.S. Congress consists of two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
3. 日本国会刚刚通过了一项新的环保法规。 The Japanese Diet just passed a new environmental regulation.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, international affairs, news

Tone: official

Do Say

• 国会议员投票支持了这项提案。(Members of Congress voted in favor of the proposal.)
• 这件事已经提交国会审议。(This matter has been submitted to Congress for deliberation.)

Don't Say

• 把中国全国人大说成国会 (Don't call China's NPC 国会 — use 全国人大 or 人大; 国会 is for foreign legislatures)

Origin & History

Compound of 国 (country, nation) + 会 (assembly, meeting). Borrowed from Japanese 国会 (kokkai) during late Qing modernization.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal