协议 xiéyì agreement
agreement; pact; protocol
How to remember 协议: 协 to assist + 议 consult = agreement.
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How it is used
- A negotiated agreement/pact - 签订协议 (qiāndìng xiéyì) sign an agreement; 达成协议 (dáchéng xiéyì) reach an agreement.
- Contrast 合同 (hétong, a formal legally-binding contract): 协议 is broader - mutual understandings, treaties, terms - and not always as legally rigid.
- Also the tech sense 'protocol': 网络协议 (wǎngluò xiéyì) network protocol.