HSK · Level 87
45 words
Chinese word
会意
Pronunciation
Pinyinhuì yì
Meaning
- verbunderstand each other
Example
我和她只用眼神就会意了。wǒ hé tā zhǐ yòng yǎn shén jiù huì yì le
She and I understood each other with just our eyes.
More examples
他在黑板上画了一个记号，大家立刻会意开始按顺序操作。tā zài hēi bǎn shàng huà le yí gè jì hào dà jiā lì kè huì yì kāi shǐ àn shùn xù cāo zuò
He drew a mark on the blackboard, and everyone immediately understood what he meant and began working in order.
Core concept
A shared meaning passes between people through a look, gesture, or expression instead of speech.
Common phrases
互相会意地点头hù xiāng huì yì dì diǎn tóu
understand each other and nod
听到对方一句话就会意tīng dào duì fāng yí jù huà jiù huì yì
understand each other as soon as they hear one sentence from the other
Similar words
心领神会xīn lǐng shén huì: Sharing an instant understanding of each other's feelings or intentions without speaking.
领会lǐng huì: Understanding and taking in the meaning or main point of words or an explanation.
理解lí jiě: Grasping the meaning or reason of words, situations, or other people's feelings.
明白míng bái: Having a clear understanding of what something means or why it is so.
Definition in Chinese
不用言语而通过表情或动作互相明白对方的意思。bú yòng yán yǔ ér tōng guò biǎo qíng huò dòng zuò hù xiāng míng bái duì fāng de yì si
Word origin
会意 (huìyì, "shared understanding") combines 会 (huì, "meet") with 意 (yì, "meaning"), suggesting that two people's intentions meet without spoken exchange.
Usage tips
- The same written form also names a Chinese character-formation type in which parts jointly suggest a meaning, so surrounding grammar identifies the conversational use.
Other meanings
- understandverb