wui6 ji3會意会意
Jyutpingwui6 ji3
Yalewuih yi
Definition
Associative compound; a method of Chinese character formation where parts combine to suggest a new meaning.
neutralschool
How it's used
This term belongs to the traditional study of Chinese characters known as the Six Writings. It describes characters formed by combining two or more semantic components to create a new meaning, rather than using one part for sound and one for meaning. It is primarily used in academic or linguistic contexts when discussing the etymology of characters.
Examples
Do you know how combined ideograms are formed?
The character 明 is a combined ideogram because sun and moon together mean brightness.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 形聲字, which are characters that combine a semantic radical with a phonetic component to indicate sound. Remember that in a true 会意 character, the meaning is derived from the combination of the parts, not from the pronunciation of one of them.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
