HSK 5 · Ideas

主题 zhǔtí “theme” in Chinese

Traditional 主題

What 主题 means

  1. theme
  2. topic
  3. subject

How to say 主题

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale主zhǔ3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale题tí2nd tone, rising

主题 in a sentence

  1. 他最后一本小说的主题是什么？

    Tā zuìhòu yì běn xiǎoshuō de zhǔtí shì shénme?

    What’s the theme of his last novel?

    Sentence #846795 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 我选这个主题是因为我觉得它很有意思。

    Wǒ xuǎn zhè ge zhǔtí shì yīnwèi wǒ juéde tā hěn yǒuyìsi.

    I chose this topic because I think it’s interesting.

    Sentence #6952649 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters

  3. 评论要与主题相关。

    Pínglùn yào yǔ zhǔtí xiāngguān.

    Comments must be relevant to the topic.

    Sentence #7771971 from Tatoeba

How 主题 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 主 (zhǔ) with each of its parts in a different colour
主zhǔowner
  • 丶dot · zhǔ
  • 王king · wáng

Memory aidThe dot 丶 on top was once the flame of a lamp: the main one, the master.

The character 题 (tí) with each of its parts in a different colour
题títopic
  • 是to be · shìSound part
  • 页page · xiéMeaning part

页 hints at the meaning (page); 是 (shì) hints at the sound. Compare it with tí.

Memory aidHead 页 with 是 (shì) for the sound. It first meant the forehead, and so a title or topic.

How to write 主题

主 5 strokes · 题 15 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

主题 (zhǔtí) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 主题 (zhǔtí). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 主题

Words with 主

主要zhǔyào · main主意zhǔyi · plan主人zhǔrén · master主张zhǔzhāng · to advocate主持zhǔchí · to host (a programme or event)主观zhǔguān · subjective主任zhǔrèn · director公主gōngzhǔ · princess主席zhǔxí · chairperson主动zhǔdòng · to take the initiative

Words with 题

题tí · question (on a test)问题wèntí · question难题nántí · difficult problem题目tímù · subject话题huàtí · subject (of a talk or conversation)课题kètí · research topic专题zhuāntí · special topic标题biāotí · title题材tícái · subject matter

More words: Ideas & Concepts

种类zhǒnglèi · kind重量zhòngliàng · weight状况zhuàngkuàng · condition状态zhuàngtài · condition组zǔ · group案例ànlì · case奥秘àomì · mystery拔苗助长bámiáozhùzhǎng · to spoil things through haste (lit. pull shoots to help growth)

FAQs

主题 (zhǔtí) means “theme” or “topic”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it zhǔtí: zhǔ with a 3rd tone, then tí with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 主题 is written 主題. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type zhuti with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 主题 from the suggestions. Typing zhuti into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
主题 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.