Comparing "shihe" and "heshi"

Revision as of 08:02, 27 October 2011 by Jonathan.pope (talk | contribs)

Saying characters of words the wrong way round is something most learners do. This makes 合适(héshì) and 适合(shìhé) all the more difficult to remember. They mean more or less the same, but one is a verb and one is a noun.

适合 is a verb meaning "to suit", and must take an object.

For example:

  • 这 个 工作 很 适合
  • 你 的 中文 名字 真 适合 你!
  • 这 部 电影 不 适合 给 儿童 看

合适 is an adjective meaning "suitable or appropriate".

Here are some examples:

  • Ipad 虽然 好 用,但是 对 我 来 说 价格 不 太 合适
  • 在 办公室 里 抽烟 有 点 不 合适 吧。
  • 他 就是 最 合适的 人,他 完全 符合 我们 招聘 的 要求。

We cannot say:

  • 这 个 合适 我
  • 那样 很 适合

Sources and further reading

Books

Integrated Chinese: Level 2 (1st ed)p316