Chinese word

社会

Pronunciation

Pinyinshè huì

Meaning

  • nounsociety

Example

我们应该尊重社会规则。wǒ men yīng gāi zūn zhòng shè huì guī zé

We should respect society's rules.

Illustration for 社会 (society)

More examples

政府正在努力解决社会问题。zhèng fǔ zhèng zài nǔ lì jiě jué shè huì wèn tí

The government is working hard to solve social problems.

Core concept

A large web of people, customs, rules, and institutions that organizes life beyond the individual.

Common phrases

  • 社会问题shè huì wèn tí

    social problems

  • 融入社会róng rù shè huì

    integrate into society

  • 社会责任shè huì zé rèn

    social responsibility

Similar words

社区shè qū: People living in the same local area as a connected community.
组织zǔ zhī: An organized group or system that manages people and resources for a purpose.
文化wén huà: A group's shared way of life, including its customs, values, and arts.
国家guó jiā: A self-governing political unit with territory, laws, and a government.

Definition in Chinese

指超越个人的更大范围的人际关系与制度体系，即公众生活与共同组织的总和。zhǐ chāo yuè gè rén de gèng dà fàn wéi de rén jì guān xì yǔ zhì dù tǐ xì jí gōng zhòng shēng huó yǔ gòng tóng zǔ zhī de zǒng hé

Word origin

社 (shè, "earth altar") + 会 (huì, "meeting") joins a local communal center to an assembly, giving 社会 (shèhuì, "society") its sense of organized life shared by many people.

Usage tips

  • The English phrase "high society" gives society an upper-class sense that ordinary Chinese does not normally carry, so Chinese needs context for that meaning.

Other meanings

  • the publicnoun
  • communitynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word