jiě shì
to justify; explanation
你能解释一下这个词的意思吗？
nǐ néng jiěshì yīxià zhège cí de yìsi ma?
Can you explain the meaning of this word?
这个现象很难解释。
zhège xiànxiàng hěn nán jiěshì.
This phenomenon is hard to explain.
我需要你给我一个合理的解释。
wǒ xūyào nǐ gěi wǒ yīgè hélǐ de jiěshì.
I need you to give me a reasonable explanation.
说明 (shuōmíng)
explain
阐述 (chǎnshù)
expound
疑问 (yíwèn)
question
疑惑 (huòyí)
doubt
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The Chinese character 解释 (jiěshì) is composed of two parts: 解 (jiě) and 释 (shì). 解 originally meant "to untie" or "to loosen", and 释 originally meant "to release" or "to set free". When combined, 解释 literally means "to untie and release", which figuratively means "to explain" or "to interpret". In modern Chinese, 解释 is commonly used as a verb meaning "to explain" or "to interpret", and as a noun meaning "explanation" or "interpretation".
