Chinese word

认识

Pronunciation

Pinyinrèn shí

Meaning

  • verbknow

Example

我认识他。wǒ rèn shí tā

I know him.

Illustration for 认识 (know)

More examples

很高兴认识你。hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ

I'm very happy to get to know you.

Core concept

Brings a person or thing into clear awareness, either through meeting it or recognizing what it is.

Common phrases

  • 认识你rèn shí nǐ

    get to know you

  • 认识他rèn shí tā

    know him

Similar words

知道zhī dào: Being aware of a fact or piece of information.
认得rèn de: Recognizing someone or something from having seen it before.
了解liáo jiě: Gaining a clear understanding of a matter or someone's feelings.
懂dǒng: Understanding what words or other content mean.

Definition in Chinese

与某人结识或熟悉，也可指对事物有认知或分辨能力，侧重于建立关系或形成认知。yǔ mǒu rén jié shí huò shú xī yě kě zhǐ duì shì wù yǒu rèn zhī huò fēn biàn néng lì cè zhòng yú jiàn lì guān xì huò xíng chéng rèn zhī

Word origin

认识 (rènshí, "know; recognize") combines 认 (rèn, "recognize or acknowledge") + 识 (shí, "know or distinguish"), linking knowing someone with identifying what something is.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese, meeting someone can be described as the beginning of knowing that person, while deeper understanding usually uses a different verb.

Other meanings

  • get to knowverb
  • recognitionnoun

Word lists with this word