Chinese word

回想

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuí xiǎng

Meaning

  • verbremember

Example

我常常回想小时候的事。wǒ cháng cháng huí xiǎng xiǎo shí hòu de shì

I often remember things from my childhood.

Illustration for 回想 (remember)

More examples

毕业典礼上，他听着老师的话，不禁回想起一起走过的日子。bì yè dián lǐ shàng tā tīng zhe lǎo shī de huà bù jīn huí xiáng qǐ yì qǐ zǒu guò de rì zi

As he listened to his teacher's words at the graduation ceremony, he couldn't help but look back on the days they had shared.

Core concept

A deliberate return of the mind to earlier scenes or experiences, bringing them back into present thought.

Common phrases

  • 回想细节huí xiǎng xì jié

    recall details

  • 回想当时的情景huí xiǎng dāng shí de qíng jǐng

    look back on the scene at the time

  • 回想整个过程huí xiǎng zhěng gè guò chéng

    look back on the whole process

Similar words

回忆huí yì: To recall past events or experiences from memory.
想起xiáng qǐ: To remember a particular person, fact, or event and bring it to mind.
想起来xiǎng qǐ lái: To suddenly remember something as it comes back into the mind.
记得jì de: To remember something previously known or experienced and not forget it.

Definition in Chinese

有意识地回忆过去的事情，在心里把过去的场景或经历重新想起并回顾。yǒu yì shí dì huí yì guò qù de shì qíng zài xīn lǐ bǎ guò qù de cháng jǐng huò jīng lì chóng xīn xiáng qǐ bìng huí gù

Word origin

回想 (huíxiǎng, "to recall") combines 回 (huí, "return") with 想 (xiǎng, "think or picture"), presenting remembrance as the mind returning to an earlier image.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this word often has a reflective, narrative tone, so it suits storytelling and personal recollection more than a quick moment of recognition.

Other meanings

  • look back onverb
  • memoriesnoun

Opposites

  • 忘却wàng quèforgetverb
  • 忘怀wàng huáiforgetverb

Word lists with this word