生词

• 拼音: shēng cí
• 汉字拆解: 生 = pictograph of a plant growing, here meaning 'new/unfamiliar'; 词 = 讠(speech) + 司 (manage, phonetic)

含义

New word; unfamiliar vocabulary. A word that the learner has not yet studied or memorised.

Commonly used in language learning contexts to refer to words that are unfamiliar. Every Chinese textbook typically has a 生词表 (vocabulary list) at the end of each lesson. The opposite concept would be familiar or mastered words.

例句

1. 这篇课文有很多生词。
2. 老师让我们记住这些生词。
3. 我每天学习十个生词。

用法指南

语境: education, language learning, classroom

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 你认识这个生词吗？(Do you know this new word?)
• 请把生词写在本子上。(Please write the new words in your notebook.)

错误说法

• 不要用生词来指所有的词语 (Don't use 生词 for all vocabulary — it specifically means words you haven't learned yet; for general vocabulary, use 词语 or 词汇)

起源与历史

生 (shēng, unfamiliar/raw) + 词 (cí, word). Literally 'raw word,' meaning a word one hasn't cooked/processed yet — i.e., hasn't learned.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal