意识 yìshí consciousness
consciousness; awareness; (usually followed by 到) to be aware of; to realize
How to remember 意识: 意 idea + 识 recognize = consciousness.
Characters
How it is used
- (1) Consciousness/awareness as a noun - 失去意识 (shīqù yìshí) lose consciousness; (2) 意识到 (yìshí dào) to realize/become aware that.
- The verb sense almost always needs 到: 我意识到自己错了 (I realized I was wrong). Without 到 it's the noun.
- 环保意识 (environmental awareness), 安全意识 (safety awareness) are common noun uses.
Example sentences
- 他已经意识到它了。 Tā yǐjīng yìshí dào tā le.He already knew about it.
- 不是每个人都意识到这点。 Búshì měigè rén dōu yìshí dào zhèdiǎn.Not everyone noticed.
- 培养政治意识要花费时间。 Péiyǎng zhèngzhì yìshí yàohuāfèi shíjiān.Developing political awareness takes time.