命题

• Pinyin: mìng tí
• Hanzi breakdown: 命 = 人 (person) + 叩 (knock) + 口 (mouth) — to decree; 题 = 是 (is) + 页 (page) — a question or topic

Meaning

To set an exam question or assignment topic; a proposition; a thesis or claim open to examination.

In education: the act of setting examination questions (命题老师 = question setter). In logic and philosophy: a statement that can be true or false. In creative contexts: a given theme to work from. 命题作文 (set-topic essay) is a classic Chinese examination format.

Examples

1. 高考命题工作高度保密，参与的教师需要与外界隔绝数周。 The work of writing the Gaokao exam questions is highly confidential, and participating teachers must be cut off from the outside world for several weeks.
2. 这道逻辑命题看似简单，实则包含了复杂的哲学推论。 This logical proposition looks simple, but it actually contains complex philosophical inferences.
3. 这次创意写作比赛采用命题形式，要求所有选手围绕同一主题进行创作。 This creative writing contest used a set-topic format, requiring all contestants to write around the same theme.

Usage Guide

Context: education, logic, philosophy, examination

Tone: academic, formal

Do Say

• 命题小组经过反复论证，最终确定了这套高考试卷的结构和难度分布。(The question-setting team, after repeated deliberation, finally determined the structure and difficulty distribution of this university entrance exam paper.)
• 他的毕业论文围绕一个颇具挑战性的哲学命题展开严谨的逻辑论述。(His graduation thesis developed a rigorous logical argument around a particularly challenging philosophical proposition.)

Don't Say

• 把'命题'用于口语日常的话题讨论 (命题 is academic and formal; for an everyday topic or subject use 话题 or 主题)

Origin & History

命 (to instruct, to assign) + 题 (topic, question, problem). Together mean 'to assign a topic or question.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal