Chinese word

定位

Pronunciation

Pinyindìng wèi

Meaning

  • verblocate

Example

我们用卫星系统来定位这艘船。wǒ men yòng wèi xīng xì tǒng lái dìng wèi zhè sōu chuán

We use a satellite system to locate this ship.

Illustration for 定位 (locate)

More examples

救援队用手持设备定位失踪人员的位置。jiù yuán duì yòng shǒu chí shè bèi dìng wèi shī zōng rén yuán de wèi zhì

The rescue team uses a handheld device to determine the missing person's location.

Core concept

Giving a person, object, or idea a definite place within a physical space or a larger scheme.

Common phrases

  • 用GPS定位yòng GPS dìng wèi

    locate using GPS

  • 自动定位zì dòng dìng wèi

    locate automatically

Similar words

确定què dìng: Make a position, fact, or decision definite through judgment.
找到zhǎo dào: Find a person or thing that has been sought.
识别shí bié: Recognize what a person or thing is and tell it apart from others.
测量cè liáng: Use a tool or method to measure a distance, position, or other amount.

Definition in Chinese

利用工具、信号或分析方法把目标在空间或关系网络中定位，既可指具体的坐标确定，也可指概念性的角色或目标设定。lì yòng gōng jù xìn hào huò fēn xī fāng fǎ bǎ mù biāo zài kōng jiān huò guān xì wǎng luò zhōng dìng wèi jì kě zhǐ jù tǐ de zuò biāo què dìng yě kě zhǐ gài niàn xìng de jué sè huò mù biāo shè dìng

Word origin

定位 (dìngwèi, "locate") is built from 定 (dìng, "settle") and 位 (wèi, "place or status"), so its concrete sense of finding a position extends naturally to settling a role or market aim.

Usage tips

  • The same word can describe finding a vessel's coordinates and deciding how a product fits its audience, so the surrounding nouns usually reveal whether the setting is physical or strategic.

Other meanings

  • positioningnoun
  • targetingnoun

Related words

  • 自动定位zì dòng dìng wèiautomatic positioningnoun
  • 定位算法dìng wèi suàn fǎpositioning algorithmnoun

Word lists with this word