Comparing "yisi" and "yiyi"

意思 (yìsi) and 意义 (yìyì) are both nouns that mean "meaning," but with different nuances. 意思 is used in informal situations, and in a wide range of set phrases. 意思 is broader in range of meaning, whereas 意义 is used in formal settings in less colloquial ways.

B1HSK5ASV4567

	意思 (yìsi)	意义 (yìyì)
Meaning	meaning	value, significance
Part of Speech	noun	noun
Formality	informal	formal

:Yes

意思 and 意义 both mean "meaning" and are sometimes roughly interchangeable

Note that using 意思 sounds more casual, and using 意义 sounds more serious in the following examples.

• 你 这样 做 有 什么 意思？Nǐ zhèyàng zuò yǒu shénme yìsi?Is there any meaning in doing this?
• 你 能 不 能 解释 一下 这句 话 的 意思？Nǐ néng bù néng jiěshì yīxià zhè jù huà de yìsi?Can you explain the meaning of this statement?
• 你 做 这件 事 的 意义 是 什么？Nǐ zuò zhè jiàn shì de yìyì shì shénme?What is the point of you doing this?
• 我 想 做 有 意义 的 工作，不 想 只 赚钱。Wǒ xiǎng zuò yǒu yìyì de gōngzuò, bù xiǎng zhǐ zhuànqián.I wanted to do meaningful work and didn't want to just make money.

意思 is used in a wide array of colloquial expressions

意思 can mean "meaning," but it can also indicate interestingness and other feelings.

Common Phrases

• 有 意思yǒu yìsiinteresting
• 没 意思méi yìsiuninteresting, boring
• 不好意思bùhǎoyìsisorry
• 意思 意思yìsi yìsi"just a small gift"
• 明白（你的）意思míngbai (nǐ de) yìsiI know what (you) mean
• 什么 意思shénme yìsiwhat do you mean, what does that mean

Examples Sentences

• 学 中文 很 有 意思，但是 有点 难。Xué Zhōngwén hěn yǒu yìsi, dànshì yǒudiǎn nán.Learning Chinese is fun, but a bit hard.
• 这个 游戏 没 意思，我 不 想 玩 了。Zhège yóuxì méi yìsi, wǒ bù xiǎng wán le.This game is not interesting, I don't want to play it.
• 不 好 意思，我 又 迟到 了。Bù hǎo yìsi, wǒ yòu chídào le.Sorry I'm late again.
• 你 的 女朋友 要 过 生日 了，你 是 不 是 应该 意思意思？Nǐ de nǚpéngyou yào guò shēngrì le, nǐ shì bù shì yīnggāi yìsiyìsi？Your girlfriend's birthday is coming up, shouldn't give her a gift?
• 我 不 太 明白 你 的 意思，你 可以 解释 一下 吗？Wǒ bù tài míngbai nǐ de yìsi, nǐ kěyǐ jiěshì yīxià ma?I don't quite understand what you mean, can you explain?
• 这 句 中文 是 什么 意思？Zhè jù Zhōngwén shì shénme yìsi？What does this Chinese phrase mean?

意义 means "significance" in a serious way

意义 is much more focused and narrow. 没有意义 is, quite straightforwardly, "meaningless." You won't typically say something you don't mean with 意义 (although your conversations are likely to be much more serious).

Common Phrases

• 人生 的 意义rénshēng de yìyìthe meaning of life
• 没有 意义méiyǒu yìyìno meaning

Examples Sentences

• 你 觉得 人生 的 意义 是 什么？Nǐ juéde rénshēng de yìyì shì shénme?What do you think is the meaning of life?
• 有的人 认为 人生 没有 意义，你 呢？Yǒuderén rènwéi rénshēng méiyǒu yìyì, nǐ ne?Some people think life has no meaning, do you?
• 我 觉得 大 部分 会议 都 没有 意义。Wǒ juéde dà bùfen huìyì dōu méiyǒu yìyì.I don't find most of the meetings meaningful.
• 大家 都 觉得 这次 旅行 很 有 意义。Dàjiā dōu juéde zhècì lǚxíng hěn yǒu yìyì.Everyone thought the trip was meaningful.
• 我 觉得 这样 做 没有 意义。Wǒ juéde zhèyàng zuò méiyǒu yìyì.I don't think it makes sense to do it.

Sources and further reading

Websites

• “意思”和“意义”