Chinese word dictionary

断章取义

duànzhāng-qǔyì · (idiom) to quote out of context

Practice word

Word information

Simplified断章取义

Traditional斷章取義

Pinyinduànzhāng-qǔyì

Part of speechGeneral

HSK 3.07-9

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

断duàn

to sever, to cut off, to interrupt

章zhāng

chapter, section, writing; seal

取qǔ

to take, to receive, to obtain; to select

义yì

right conduct, propriety; justice

How to learn 断章取义

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

不断búduàn

unceasing; uninterrupted; continuous; constant

获取huòqǔ

to gain; to get; to acquire

判断pànduàn

to judge; to determine; judgment

取qǔ

to take; to get; to choose; to fetch

取得qǔdé

to acquire; to get; to obtain

取消qǔxiāo

to cancel; to call off; to revoke; to rescind