Comparing "lijie" and "liaojie"
理解 and 了解 both mean “understand” or “comprehend” a person or the way something is. Yet, both have distinct meanings, for example 理解 means after much thought and deliberation to grasp an understanding of a principle, a reason, material, a person’s deep inner thoughts or feelings, and 了解 means “to know about”, “to know of”, “to think about” a person or concept. As well, 了解 can mean “to get to know” or “to find out about” or “to become aware of how something will work out“
| 理解 (lǐjiě) | 了解 (liǎojiě) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to understand deeply | to know about, to know of |
| Part of Speech | verb | verb |
| Formality | formal | flexible |
Contents
- 1 To say to “understand” or “comprehend” a person or the way something is both 了解 and 理解 can be used.
- 2 To describe a situation in which after much thought and deliberation you grasp an understanding of a principle, a reason, material, a person’s deep inner thoughts or feelings use 理解
- 3 To say “to know about”, “to know of”, “to think about” a person or concept use 了解.
- 4 To describe a situation which uses “to get to know” or “to find out about” “to become aware of how something will work out“ (think “ahh… got you!”) about a condition or a situation use 了解.
To say to “understand” or “comprehend” a person or the way something is both 了解 and 理解 can be used.
Common Phrases
In the following examples both 了解 and 理解 can be used.
- 很～你
- 不～你
- 不太～
- 互相～
To describe a situation in which after much thought and deliberation you grasp an understanding of a principle, a reason, material, a person’s deep inner thoughts or feelings use 理解
Common Phrases
- 不能理解
- 理解不了
- 理解力
- 理解错了
- 表示理解
To say “to know about”, “to know of”, “to think about” a person or concept use 了解.
Common Phrases
To describe a situation which uses “to get to know” or “to find out about” “to become aware of how something will work out“ (think “ahh… got you!”) about a condition or a situation use 了解.
Common Phrases
- 了解情况
- 了解一下
- 了解了解
Similarities:
Parts of Speech: both are verbs.
Meaning: Both mean “understand” or “comprehend” a person or the way something is.
Collocations: These patterns work with both 理解 and 了解：很～你, 不～你, 不太～, 互相～,
Example sentences ( 理解 AND 了解 both can be used):
一 二 三 四
Differences:
Formal/Informal: 理解 is used much more often in formal settings and written Chinese, whereas 了解 is used both in formal/informal settings and written/spoken Chinese.
Meaning: 理解 means after much thought and deliberation “to grasp an understanding of ” a principle, a reason, material, a person’s deep inner thoughts or feelings.
Collocations: These patterns work only with 理解：不能～, ～不了, ～力, ～错了, 表示～
Example sentences (only 理解 can be used): 一 二 三 四
Meaning: 了解 means “to know about”, “to know of”, “to think about” a person or concept.
Example sentences (only 了解 can be used): 一 二 三 四
Meaning: 了解 means “to get to know” or “to find out about” “to become aware of how something will work out“ (think “ahh… got you!”) of a condition or a situation.
Collocations: These patterns work only with 了解：～情况, ～一下, 了解了解
Example sentences (only 了解 can be used): 一 二 三 四
