Chinese–English dictionary

语源学

(countable) An account of the origin and historical development of a word as presented in a dictionary or the like. · yǔ yuán xué

语言

(countable) A body of words, and set of methods of combining them (called a grammar), understood by a community and used as a form of communication. · yǔ yán

语言学

The systematic and scholarly study of language. · yǔ yán xué

语言学家

(usually) One who studies modern-day linguistics, that is, linguistic science. · yǔ yán xué jiā

语调

(linguistics) The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. · yǔ diào

说

(formal, intransitive) To talk; to engage in conversation. · shuì

说明

A resolution of disputed points pursuant to discussion; a mutual clarification of disputed points; reconciliation. · shuō míng

说服

(transitive, now, rare, regional) To urge, plead; to try to convince (someone to do something). [from 16th c.] · shuō fú

说话

(idiomatic, US) To chat idly or generally waste time talking. · shuō huà

说语

To talk more than a few words. · shuō yǔ

说谎

(intransitive) To give false information intentionally with intent to deceive. · shuō huǎng

说谎者

A person who frequently lies; someone who tells a lie. · shuō huǎng zhě

请

To request. · qǐng

请假

Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.] · qǐng jià

请求

A verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school, course or similar. · qǐng qiú

读

(transitive) To articulate, pronounce. · dòu

诽谤

The act of injuring another person's reputation by any slanderous communication, written or oral; the wrong of maliciously injuring the good name of another. · fěi bàng

课

(economics, finance) The rate at which one currency may be exchanged for another currency. · kè

课文

A book, tome or other set of writings. · kè wén

课本

A textbook, a book designed to accompany a specific academic course, or one specified by the writers of the course to be read by its students. · kè běn

谁

Any person; anybody. · shéi

调

A telephony signal, usually in the form of a sound, used to indicate that the telephone exchange is working, has recognized an off-hook, and is ready to accept a call. · diào

调制解调器

(computing) A device that encodes digital computer signals into analog telephone signals and vice versa, allowing computers to communicate over a phone line. · tiáo zhì jiě tiáo qì

调查

The act of investigating; the process of inquiring into or following up; research, especially patient or thorough inquiry or examination · diào chá

调的

(of a musical instrument) Tuned to the correct pitch. · diào de

调试

(computer science) To search for and eliminate malfunctioning elements or errors in something, especially a computer program or machinery. · tiáo shì

调音器

A person who tunes a piano or organ. · diào yīn qì

谋反

(uncountable) Armed resistance to an established government or ruler. · móu fǎn

谎言

(countable) A false statement, especially an intentional one; a lie. · huǎng yán

谎话

(uncountable) The property of being false. · huǎng huà

谚语的

Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale. · yàn yǔ de

谜

Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable. · mèi

谜语

A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer. · mí yǔ

谢谢

The act of recognizing in a particular character or relationship; recognition of existence, authority, truth, or genuineness. · xiè xie

谢赫

The leader of an Arab village, family or small tribe. · Xiè Hè

谢里夫

A traditional Arab tribal title for one who serves as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets. · Xiè lǐ fū

谨慎

Carefully aware of all circumstances; considerate of all that is pertinent. · jǐn shèn

谬论

(countable) That which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction. [First attested in the late 15th century.] · miù lùn

谴责

The act of accusing. · qiǎn zé

谷

A secluded and narrow valley, especially one with a river running through it; a depression between hills; a dale. · gǔ

谷地

(mainly, Britain, slightly dated outside Yorkshire etc.) A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area. · gǔ dì

谷神星

(Roman god) The Roman goddess of agriculture; equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter. · Gǔ shén xīng

豁口

An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting. · huò kǒu

豆

Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. · dòu

豆腐

A protein-rich food made from curdled soy milk. · dòu fu

豌豆

(especially, when without a qualifier) A plant, Pisum sativum, member of the legume (Fabaceae) family. · wān dòu

豎琴

A foot equipped with such. · shù qín

豐富

An overflowing fullness or ample sufficiency; profusion; copious supply; superfluity; plentifulness. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.] · fēng fù

豚

A young pig. · tún

豚鼠

(relative) Of whom, belonging to whom. · tún shǔ

象

(chess) The chess piece denoted ♗ or ♝ which moves along diagonal lines and developed from the shatranj alfil ("elephant") and was originally known as the aufil or archer in English. · xiàng

象形

A picture that represents a word or an idea by illustration. · xiàng xíng

象形文字

An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system. · xiàng xíng wén zì

象征主义

Representation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities. [from between 1645 and 1655.] · xiàng zhēng zhǔ yì

象徵

A representative symbol, such as a trademark, a badge or logo. · xiàng zhēng

象棋

(chess) A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece. [from 14th c.] · xiàng qí

象牙

(uncountable) The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals. · xiàng yá

象限

(mathematics) One of the four regions of the Cartesian plane bounded by the x-axis and y-axis. · xiàng xiàn

象鼻

(anatomy) An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal. · xiàng bí

象鼻子

(architecture) A structure constructed between two adjacent walls to aid in the transition from a polygonal to a circular structure, as when a dome is constructed on top of a square room. · xiàng bí zi

象鼻蟲科

Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most characteristic species having the head projecting in a distinctive snout with the mouthparts at the tip. · xiàng bí chóng kē

豪华

Very wealthy and comfortable surroundings; the state of being that they create. · háo huá

豪猪

Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised. · háo zhū

豪饮

(simile) To drink (especially alcohol) heavily and in excess. · háo yǐn

豬

(countable) Any of several mammalian species of the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a snout adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus. · zhū

豬油

Fat from the abdomen of a pig, especially as prepared for use in cooking or pharmacy. · zhū yóu

豬肉

(mostly, uncountable) The meat of a pig. · zhū ròu

豹

Panthera pardus, a large wild cat with a spotted coat native to Africa and Asia, especially the male of the species (in contrast to leopardess). · bào

豺狼座

(constellation) A summer constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble a wolf. It lies south of the constellation Libra. · Chái láng zuò

貂

A member of a Native American people, formed from the Huron confederacy, that lived in and around Ohio. · diāo

貓

A carnivorous, four-legged, generally furry domesticated species (Felis catus) of feline animal, commonly kept as a house pet. [from 8th c.] · māo

貘

(intransitive) To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear. · mò

貝

A hard protective covering of bone or chitin, especially one which covers the dorsal portion of an animal. · bèi

貝赫莫特

(Bible) A great and mighty beast which God shows to Job in Job 40:15–24. · bèi hè mò tè

貝里斯

An English-speaking country in Central America, formerly called British Honduras. · Bèi lǐ sī

貝雷帽

(headwear) A type of round, brimless cap with a soft top and a headband to secure it to the head; usually culturally associated with France. · bèi léi mào

貝類

A culinary and nutritional term for several groups of non-piscine, non-tetrapod, aquatic animals that are used as a food source. The term often exclusively refers to edible aquatic crustaceans, bivalve mollusks and cephalopod mollusks; but sometimes echinoderms may be included as well. · bèi lèi

貞

Sexually pure, abstaining from immoral or unlawful sexual intercourse. · zhēn

貞節

The quality of being chaste: the state of abstaining from any sexual activity considered immoral; avoidance of sexual sins. · zhēn jié

負鼠

Any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae in the order Didelphimorphia. · fù shǔ

財富

(uncountable) The state or quality of being rich; wealthiness, wealth, riches. · cái fù

財政預算案

The amount of money or resources earmarked for a particular institution, activity or timeframe. · cái zhèng yù suàn àn

貢獻

(ambitransitive) To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole. · gòng xiàn

貧民窟

A slum or shantytown, especially in Brazil. · pín mín kū

貧窮

An extreme state of poverty, in which a person is almost completely lacking in resources or means of support. · pín qióng

貧血

(American spelling, uncountable, pathology) A medical condition in which the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen to the tissues is reduced, either because of too few red blood cells, or because of too little hemoglobin, resulting in pallor and fatigue. · pín xuè

貨幣

A currency maintained by a state or other entity which can guarantee its value (such as a monetary union). · huò bì

貪婪

Excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greed for wealth · tān lán

貪食

The vice of eating to excess. · tān shí

責任

The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account or give an explanation; liability to be held responsible or answerable for something. · zé rèn

貴

Having a high price or cost. · guì

貶

(intransitive, with against or occasionally about, formerly also with on, at, upon) To complain loudly, to give voice to one's censure or criticism [from 16th c.] · biǎn

買

(transitive, archaic) To suffer consequences for (something) through being deprived of something; to pay for (something one has done). · mǎi

買主

A person who makes one or more purchases. · mǎi zhǔ

貸款

(law, banking, finance) A sum of money or other property that a natural or legal person borrows from another with the condition that it be returned or repaid over time or at a later date (sometimes with interest). · dài kuǎn

費城

A locale in the United States; named for the city in Pennsylvania. · Fèi chéng

費用

Amount of money, time, etc. that is required or used. · fèi yòng

費迪南

A en given name, best known for a 13th century king of Spain, but seldom popular in English. · fèi dí nán

費迪南德

A en given name, best known for a 13th century king of Spain, but seldom popular in English. · fèi dí nán dé

貼紙

Adhesive, sticking to something. · tiē zhǐ

貿易

(business) The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; especially the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic. · mào yì

賄賂

(transitive) To give a bribe to; specifically, to ask a person to do something against their original will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble. · huì lù

資本

A sum or source of money. · zī běn

資格

An ability or attribute that aids someone's chances of qualifying for something; specifically, completed professional training. [from 17th c.] · zī gé

資產

(software) Any component, model, process or framework of value that can be leveraged or reused. · zī chǎn

資產負債表

(accounting) A list accounting for the debits on one side, and for the credits on the other. · zī chǎn fù zhài biǎo

賈斯珀

(obsolete) Any bright-coloured kind of chalcedony apart from cornelian. · Jiǎ sī pò

賊

One who carries out a theft. · zéi

賣方

Someone who sells; a vendor; a clerk. · mài fāng

賦格

(music) A contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices, each voice introduced in turn by playing the melody. · fù gé

質地

The feel or shape of a surface or substance; the smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. of something. · zhì dì

質子

(particle) A positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element, composed of two up quarks and a down quark. [from 1920] · zhì zǐ

賭場

A public building or room for gambling. · dǔ chǎng

購買

An act or process of making a purchase. · gòu mǎi

賽博格

(scifi) A being which is part machine and part organic. · sài bó gé

賽馬場

A horse racing course. · sài mǎ chǎng

贊成

(intransitive) To be in harmony about an opinion, statement, or action; to have a consistent idea between two or more people. · zàn chéng

贊比亞

A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of Zambia. Formerly called Northern Rhodesia. · Zàn bǐ yà

贏利

(dated, literary) Benefit, positive result obtained. · yíng lì

贝壳

The empty shell of a marine mollusk. · bèi ké

贝奈特饼

(US) A Louisiana-style fried doughnut or fritter covered in powdered sugar. · bèi nài tè bǐng

贝宁

A country in West Africa, formerly Dahomey. · Bèi níng

贝尔格莱德

The capital city of Serbia; the former capital of Yugoslavia; the former capital of Serbia and Montenegro. · Bèi ěr gé lái dé

贝尔法斯特

The capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. · Bèi ěr fǎ sī tè

贝雷帽

A traditional Scottish woollen brimless cap; a bunnet. · bèi léi mào

贝鲁特

The capital and largest city of Lebanon. · Bèi lǔ tè

负责

Obliged, when called upon, to answer (for one’s deeds); answerable. · fù zé

贡多拉

A small long, narrow boat with a high prow and stern, propelled with a single oar, especially in Venice. · gòng duō lā

财富

An abundance of wealth. · cái fù

责任

A legal obligation. · zé rèn

责备

A mild rebuke, or an implied criticism. · zé bèi

责骂

(ambitransitive) To repeatedly remind or complain to (someone) in an annoying way, often about insignificant or unnecessary matters. · zé mà

败仗

The act or instance of being defeated, of being overcome or vanquished; a loss. · bài zhàng

货币

Money or other items used to facilitate transactions. · huò bì

货摊

A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale. · huò tān

质子

(particle) A positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element, composed of two up quarks and a down quark. [from 1920] · zhì zǐ

质权

(finance) A security or guarantee (usually an asset) pledged for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repay. · zhì quán

质量

(medicine) A palpable or visible abnormal globular structure; a tumor. · zhì liàng

贪污

(legal, business) To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works. · tān wū

贫民窟

(countable, pejorative) A dilapidated neighborhood where many people live in a state of poverty. · pín mín kū

贫穷

A deficiency of something needed or desired · pín qióng

贫血

(American spelling, uncountable, pathology) A medical condition in which the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen to the tissues is reduced, either because of too few red blood cells, or because of too little hemoglobin, resulting in pallor and fatigue. · pín xuè

贬义

Lessening the worth of (a person, etc); expressing derogation; insulting. · biǎn yì

贯彻；实行；执行

To bring about; to put into practice; to carry out.

贵

A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly. · guì

贵族

The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class. · guì zú

贵族阶层

A noble or privileged social class, historically accompanied by a hereditary title; aristocracy. · guì zú jiē céng

贺拉斯

Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a poet and philosopher of the Roman Augustan Age (65–8 BCE). · Hè lā sī

贿赂

The act of offering or paying such a payment: an act of bribery. · huì lù

资本

Characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle. · zī běn