Chinese word

阅读

Pronunciation

Pinyinyuè dú

Meaning

  • verbread

Example

我喜欢阅读中文小说。wǒ xǐ huān yuè dú zhōng wén xiǎo shuō

I enjoy reading Chinese novels.

Illustration for 阅读 (read)

More examples

通勤时很多人喜欢在手机上阅读新闻。tōng qín shí hěn duō rén xǐ huān zài shǒu jī shàng yuè dú xīn wén

Many people like to read the news on their phones during their commute.

Core concept

Following written marks leads the mind to the information they contain.

Common phrases

  • 阅读报纸yuè dú bào zhǐ

    read newspapers

  • 阅读电子书yuè dú diàn zi shū

    read e-books

  • 阅读小说yuè dú xiǎo shuō

    read novels

Similar words

读dú: Reading words or text and understanding what they say in ordinary conversation.
看书kàn shū: Spending time reading a book or books for their content.
浏览liú lǎn: Looking over much information briefly to find its main or important points.

Definition in Chinese

用眼睛或头脑理解文字或图表的内容。yòng yǎn jīng huò tóu nǎo lí jiě wén zì huò tú biǎo de nèi róng

Word origin

阅读 (yuèdú, "reading") is formed from 阅 (yuè, "look over") + 读 (dú, "read"), so its parts point from examining material to taking in its meaning.

Usage tips

  • 阅读 (yuèdú, "reading") fits formal or written contexts, whereas 读 (dú, "read") is the usual shorter choice in everyday speech and 看书 (kànshū, "read books") specifies reading books.

Other meanings

  • readingnoun
  • understandverb

Related words

  • 阅读习惯yuè dú xí guànreading habitnoun
  • 阅读理解yuè dú lí jiěreading comprehensionnoun

Word lists with this word