Chinese word

事物

Pronunciation

Pinyinshì wù

Meaning

  • nounthing

Example

孩子对事物充满好奇。hái zi duì shì wù chōng mǎn hào qí

Children are full of curiosity about things.

Illustration for 事物 (thing)

More examples

他能迅速区分不同的事物。tā néng xùn sù qū fēn bù tóng de shì wù

He can quickly tell different things apart.

Core concept

A wide frame that gathers physical objects, events, and phenomena under one discussable category.

Common phrases

  • 观察事物guān chá shì wù

    observe things

  • 理解事物lí jiě shì wù

    understand things

  • 区分事物qū fēn shì wù

    tell things apart

Similar words

东西dōng xī: A concrete object or item that can be touched.
事情shì qíng: An event, problem, or matter connected with people or daily life.

Definition in Chinese

泛指一切有形的物体以及无形的事情或现象，用于概括可感知或可讨论的对象。fàn zhǐ yí qiè yǒu xíng de wù tǐ yǐ jí wú xíng de shì qíng huò xiàn xiàng yòng yú gài kuò kě gǎn zhī huò kě tǎo lùn de duì xiàng

Word origin

事 (shì, "matter") + 物 (wù, "thing") joins what happens with what exists as a general noun for discussable things.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this noun can sound formal when a speaker means one ordinary item, but it fits neutral explanations that group different kinds of subjects together.

Other meanings

  • objectnoun

Word lists with this word