约 yuē make an appointment
make an appointment; to economize
How to remember 约: 纟 thread + 勺 ladle = make an appointment. Two rival grandmas tie a red thread around a single soup ladle, shake hands, and make an appointment to swap it at noon at the fair.
Component breakdown
约 = 纟 thread + 勺 ladle
- 纟 thread
- 勺 ladle
- 勹 wrap
- 丶 a drop
Two rival grandmas tie a red thread around a single soup ladle, shake hands, and make an appointment to swap it at noon at the fair.
How it came to be
Silk with a ladle beside it for the sound. A cord tied round two things holds them together, and that binding is an agreement, which is where roughly and about both come from.
How it is used
- To arrange/make an appointment, and 'approximately' - 约会 (yuēhuì) a date, 预约 (yùyuē) book/reserve, 大约 (dàyuē) about/roughly.
- 约 as a verb: 我约了朋友 (wǒ yuē le péngyou) I arranged to meet a friend.
- Also 'to restrain / a pact': 约束 (yuēshù) constrain, 节约 (jiéyuē) economize, 合约 (héyuē) contract.
Characters built with 约
Words with 约
- 约会yuēhuìappointmentHSK 4
- 大约dàyuēapproximatelyHSK 4
- 节约jiéyuēfrugalHSK 4
- 约定yuēdìngto agree on something (after discussion)HSK 5
- 预约yùyuēbookingHSK 5
- 约束yuēshùto restrictHSK 6
- 不约而同bùyuē’értóngto take the same action without prioHSK 7
- 公约gōngyuēconvention (i.e. international agreement)HSK 7
- 合约héyuēcontractHSK 7
- 条约tiáoyuētreatyHSK 7
- 相约xiāngyuēto agree (on a meeting place, date etc)HSK 7
- 签约qiānyuēto sign a contract or agreementHSK 7
- 解约jiěyuēto terminate an agreementHSK 7
- 制约zhìyuēto restrictHSK 8
- 契约qìyuēagreementHSK 8
- 约定俗成yuēdìng-súchéngestablished by popular usage (idiom)HSK 9
- 违约wéiyuēto break a promiseHSK 9
- 隐约yǐnyuēvagueHSK 9
Example sentences
- 我和朋友约在这里见面。 Wǒ hé péngyou yuē zài zhèli jiànmiàn.My friend and I have agreed to meet here.
- 这个男孩大约六岁。 Zhège nánháir dàyuē liù suì.The boy is about six years old.
- 他约会迟到了，向女朋友道歉。 Tā yuēhuì chídào le, xiàng nǚ péngyou dàoqiàn.He apologized to his girlfriend because he was late for the date.
- 节约能源关系到全人类的福祉。 Jiéyuē néngyuán guānxidào quán rénlèi de fúzhǐ.Energy conservation touches on the welfare of all mankind.