Chinese word

编

Pronunciation

Pinyinbiān

Meaning

  • verbmake up

Example

他总是编一些借口。tā zǒng shì biān yì xiē jiè kǒu

He always makes up some excuses.

Illustration for 编 (make up)

More examples

警察调查后，发现他编的借口不成立。jǐng chá diào chá hòu fā xiàn tā biān de jiè kǒu bù chéng lì

After investigating, the police found that the excuse he made up did not hold up.

Core concept

Builds one coherent whole by joining loose parts, including physical strands, written material, and invented details.

Common phrases

  • 编借口biān jiè kǒu

    make up excuses

  • 编谎言biān huǎng yán

    make up lies

Similar words

编造biān zào: Invent content that is not true, such as a story, reason, or explanation.
捏造niē zào: Invent false details and present them as if they were true.
虚构xū gòu: Imagine and create people, events, or settings that do not exist.
伪造wěi zào: Make a false document or object to pass as a genuine one.

Definition in Chinese

把若干零散的事物或信息整理、组合成一个新的整体，可能是真实也可能是虚构的。bǎ ruò gān líng sǎn de shì wù huò xìn xī zhéng lǐ zǔ hé chéng yí gè xīn de zhéng tǐ kě néng shì zhēn shí yě kě néng shì xū gòu de

Word origin

The physical sense of 编 (biān, "to weave") provides the older image behind its later uses for compiling texts and forming a story from selected details.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, the noun after this verb helps show the speaker's attitude: an excuse or story often suggests invention, while a book or text can simply refer to careful arrangement.

Other meanings

  • editverb
  • weaveverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word