HSK 6 · Ideas

主义 zhǔyì “-ism” in Chinese

Traditional 主義

What 主义 means

  1. -ism
  2. doctrine
  3. ideology

How to say 主义

  • 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 fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale义yì4th tone, falling

主义 in a sentence

  1. 我是素食主义者。

    Wǒ shì sùshí zhǔyìzhě.

    I’m a vegetarian.

    Sentence #510809 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 你是个乐观主义者。

    Nǐ shì ge lèguān zhǔyìzhě.

    You’re an optimist.

    Sentence #4972527 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 完美主义很容易酿成灾难。

    Wánměi zhǔyì hěn róngyì niàngchéng zāinàn.

    Perfectionism can easily lead to disaster.

    Sentence #12332118 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 主义 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 义 (yì) with each of its parts in a different colour
义yìjustice
  • 丶dot · zhǔ
  • 乂to govern · yìSound part

⺷ hints at the meaning (sheep); 乂 (yì) hints at the sound. Compare it with yì.

How to write 主义

主 5 strokes · 义 3 strokes

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

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

Words related to 主义

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主题zhǔtí · theme

Words with 义

义务yìwù · duty意义yìyì · sense贬义biǎnyì · negative connotation正义zhèngyì · justice定义dìngyì · definition含义hányì · meaning见义勇为jiànyìyǒngwéi · to act bravely for a just cause

More words: Ideas & Concepts

周折zhōuzhé · twists and turns转折zhuǎnzhé · turning point主流zhǔliú · mainstream准则zhǔnzé · principle自力更生zìlìgēngshēng · self-reliance姿态zītài · posture踪迹zōngjì · trace宗旨zōngzhǐ · aim

FAQs

主义 (zhǔyì) means “-ism” or “doctrine”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it zhǔyì: zhǔ with a 3rd tone, then yì with a 4th 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, 主义 is written 主義. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type zhuyi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 主义 from the suggestions. Typing zhuyi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
主义 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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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.