了解

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 了解 (liǎojiě) is a compound word consisting of two characters: 了 (liǎo) and 解 (jiě). The character 了 (liǎo) originally meant "to finish" or "to complete," and it is often used as a perfective aspect marker in modern Chinese, indicating that an action has been completed. The character 解 (jiě) originally meant "to untie" or "to loosen," and it is often used in modern Chinese to mean "to understand" or "to comprehend."When these two characters are combined to form the word 了解 (liǎojiě), the meaning changes slightly. 了 (liǎo) no longer indicates the completion of an action, but rather the speaker's state of knowledge or understanding. 解 (jiě) still retains its meaning of "to understand," but it is now used in a more general sense, referring to the speaker's overall understanding of a situation or topic.Therefore, the word 了解 (liǎojiě) can be translated as "to understand" or "to comprehend," but it specifically refers to the speaker's state of knowledge or understanding. It is often used in situations where the speaker is acknowledging or expressing their understanding of something. For example, if someone asks you a question and you understand what they are asking, you might respond with 了解 (liǎojiě) to indicate that you understand.