jù zi
sentence
这本书的句子很长。
Zhè běn shū de jù zi hěn cháng.
The sentences in this book are very long.
我不会说这句话。
Wǒ bù huì shuō zhè jù huà.
I can't say this sentence.
这句话是什么意思？
Zhè jù huà shì shén me yì si?
What does this sentence mean?
短语 (duǎnyǔ)
phrase
词语 (cíyǔ)
word
Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.
Get Started Free
The Chinese word "句子" (jùzi) for "sentence" is composed of two characters: "句" (jù) and "子" (zǐ). The character "句" originally meant "a bamboo joint" or "a section of bamboo". In ancient times, bamboo was used as a writing material, and a single bamboo joint was often used to write a short piece of text. This is how the character "句" came to be associated with the idea of a "sentence". The character "子" is a common suffix in Chinese that indicates a small or young thing. In this case, it is used to indicate that a "句子" is a small or basic unit of language. Together, the two characters "句" and "子" form the word "句子", which means "sentence".
