HSK · Level 17
135 words
Chinese word
同志
Pronunciation
Pinyintóng zhì
Meaning
- noungay
Example
他说自己是同志。tā shuō zì jǐ shì tóng zhì
He said he was gay.
More examples
他决定公开自己的同志身份，告诉了家人。tā jué dìng gōng kāi zì jǐ de tóng zhì shēn fèn gào sù le jiā rén
He decided to make his gay identity public and told his family.
Core concept
A shared identity or purpose that binds people together, from political comradeship to a same-sex identity.
Common phrases
公开同志身份gōng kāi tóng zhì shēn fèn
make one's gay identity public
同志社群tóng zhì shè qún
gay community
支持同志zhī chí tóng zhì
support gay people
Similar words
男同性恋nán tóng xìng liàn: A man whose romantic or sexual attraction is directed toward men.
同性恋tóng xìng liàn: The romantic or sexual attraction a person feels toward the same sex.
女同性恋nǚ tóng xìng liàn: A woman whose romantic or sexual attraction is directed toward women.
Definition in Chinese
原为指志向一致者，后作为政治上的称呼使用，现代口语中亦被部分同性恋者用作自我表述。yuán wèi zhǐ zhì xiàng yí zhì zhě hòu zuò wéi zhèng zhì shàng de chēng hū shǐ yòng xiàn dài kóu yǔ zhōng yì bèi bù fèn tóng xìng liàn zhě yòng zuò zì wǒ biǎo shù
Word origin
同 (tóng, "same") + 志 (zhì, "aspiration") combine in 同志 (tóngzhì, "comrade") to express shared purpose, before its political use and later use by some gay people as a self-label.
Usage tips
- Context matters: political, military, or organizational settings usually favor the comradeship sense, while a personal self-description may signal a same-sex identity.
Other meanings
- comradenoun
Opposites
- 异性恋者yì xìng liàn zhěheterosexual personnoun
- 异性恋yì xìng liànheterosexualitynoun
Related words
- 老同志lǎo tóng zhìexperienced comradenoun