Chinese - Antithetical Compounds
Have you noticed some interesting Chinese words like 东西 or 买卖? This phenomenon is a common and interesting feature of Chinese vocabulary formation, where two characters with opposite or contrasting meanings are combined to form a single, comprehensive word.
These words, often called antithetical compounds, generally form a new meaning that represents:
- The entire spectrum or range covered by the two opposites (e.g., Long and Short = Length).
- The concept or entity that encompasses both extremes (e.g., East and West = Thing).
- A conflict or duality (e.g., Spear and Shield = Contradiction).
Here is a list of such Chinese words:
| Chinese Word | Pinyin | Literal Meaning of Parts | Combined Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 矛盾 | máo dùn | 矛 (máo) = Spear, 盾 (dùn) = Shield | Contradiction | The classic example comes from a fable where a vendor boasted that his spear could pierce any shield, and his shield could block any spear, creating a logical contradiction. |
| 买卖 | mǎi mài | 买 (mǎi) = Buy, 卖 (mài) = Sell | Business; Trade | Combining the two opposite actions (buying and selling) defines the overall commercial activity: trade. |
| 东西 | dōng xi | 东 (dōng) = East, 西 (xi) = West | Thing; Object | The etymology is debated, but one theory is that in ancient times, marketplaces were often in the East or West of a city, and people would walk between them to buy "things." Combining the two directions represents the general category of items. |
| 大小 | dà xiǎo | 大 (dà) = Big, 小 (xiǎo) = Small | Size | Combining the two extremes of scale (big and small) expresses the abstract concept of the measurement itself (length, size, dimension). |
| 长短 | cháng duǎn | 长 (cháng) = Long, 短 (duǎn) = Short | Length | Similar to 大小, the combination represents the entire range or spectrum of length. |
| 左右 | zuǒ yòu | 左 (zuǒ) = Left, 右 (yòu) = Right | Approximately; About | Combining "left" and "right" forms an adverb meaning "on either side" of a number, hence "approximately." |
| 进退 | jìn tuì | 进 (jìn) = Advance, 退 (tuì) = Retreat | Manners; Sense of propriety; Options | Refers to the full range of options in a situation—knowing whether to advance or retreat—and by extension, one's ability to act appropriately (a sense of propriety). |
| 开关 | kāi guān | 开 (kāi) = Open, 关 (guān) = Close | Switch; To turn on/off | Combining the actions of opening and closing creates the noun for the device that performs both actions (a switch) or the action of controlling a device. |
| 高低 | gāo dī | 高 (gāo) = High, 低 (dī) = Low | Height; Quality | Combining the two vertical extremes represents the general measurement of height or, figuratively, the quality or level of something. |
| 胜负 | shèng fù | 胜 (shèng) = Victory, 负 (fù) = Defeat | Outcome (of a battle) | Combining the two possible results of a competition (winning and losing) refers to the final result or outcome. |
| 真假 | zhēn jiǎ | 真 (zhēn) = True, 假 (jiǎ) = False | Veracity; Authenticity | Combining "true" and "false" represents the spectrum of truthfulness. |
| 黑白 | hēi bái | 黑 (hēi) = Black, 白 (bái) = White | Black and white; Right and wrong | The literal meaning refers to monochrome, but figuratively, it refers to the clear distinction between good/evil or right/wrong. |
| 来去 | lái qù | 来 (lái) = Come, 去 (qù) = Go | Comings and goings; Movement | Combining the two directions of movement represents general movement or circulation. |
| 虚实 | xū shí | 虚 (xū) = Empty/False, 实 (shí) = Real/True | The real situation; Actual conditions | Combining the opposite states of being "empty" or "real" refers to figuring out the full picture, including the unseen or factual parts. |
This type of word formation, where two antonyms are paired to denote the encompassing concept or entire spectrum, is known as a Coordinated Compound (并列式, bìng liè shì) and is a highly productive and distinctive part of Chinese vocabulary.