优化

• Pinyin: yōu huà
• Hanzi breakdown: 优 = 人 + 忧 simplified (excellent); 化 = 人 + 匕 (person + change — to transform)

Meaning

To optimise; to improve the efficiency, structure, or performance of a system, process, or resource allocation.

A high-frequency term in technology, economics, and management. 优化配置 (optimise resource allocation), 优化结构 (restructure for efficiency), 算法优化 (algorithm optimisation), 流程优化 (process optimisation), 产业结构优化 (industrial structure optimisation). In mathematics and computing, refers specifically to finding the best solution within defined constraints.

Examples

1. 这家公司的推荐算法经三百多次优化，停留时长提升42%。 The company's recommendation algorithm has been optimized more than 300 times, and average stay time increased by 42%.
2. 这份长三角规划以优化产业分工为目标，引导产业梯度转移。 This Yangtze River Delta plan aims to optimize industrial division of labor and guide stepped industrial relocation.
3. 线性规划为资源有限时的多目标优化提供了严谨工具。 Linear programming provides a rigorous tool for multi-objective optimization when resources are limited.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, economics, management, engineering

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 团队将强化学习与规则引擎结合，优化了城市路况下的路径规划。(The team combined reinforcement learning with a rule engine to optimize path planning in city traffic.)
• 教育部推进课程结构优化，压缩重复记忆，增加思维训练。(The Ministry of Education is promoting curriculum structure optimization, reducing repetitive memorization and adding more thinking training.)

Don't Say

• 我优化了我的卧室 — 优化 refers to systematic improvement of a process, system, or structure; for rearranging furniture or tidying a room, use 整理 or 布置; 优化 implies a purposeful structural or efficiency improvement

Origin & History

优 (superior — excellent) + 化 (to transform — 人 person + 匕 change, someone undergoing transformation)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal