Chinese word

世界

Pronunciation

Pinyinshì jiè

Meaning

  • nounworld

Example

世界很大。shì jiè hěn dà

The world is big.

Illustration for 世界 (world)

More examples

在世界各地，人们的生活习惯不同。zài shì jiè gè dì rén men de shēng huó xí guàn bù tóng

People's lifestyles differ around the world.

Core concept

A single frame that includes the planet, its regions, and the human life and connections spread across them.

Common phrases

  • 世界上shì jiè shàng

    in the world

  • 全世界quán shì jiè

    all over the world

  • 世界各地shì jiè gè dì

    around the world

Similar words

地球dì qiú: The planet Earth, seen as the round home of people.

Definition in Chinese

指地球作为整体或各国、各地区之间的总体关系和现象。zhǐ dì qiú zuò wéi zhéng tǐ huò gè guó gè dì qū zhī jiān de zóng tǐ guān xì hé xiàn xiàng

Word origin

世界 (shìjiè, "world") combines 世 (shì, "age or human generation") with 界 (jiè, "boundary or realm"), joining human time and a defined realm into the broad idea of the earthly world.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, context decides whether the scope is the planet itself or human life across countries, so a nearby noun or adjective often makes the intended scope clear.

Other meanings

  • earthnoun
  • societynoun

Word lists with this word