Meaning of 思想
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- thought
- thinking
- idea
- ideology
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 思想
思想 is used for a person's way of thinking, or for larger systems of ideas such as political or philosophical thought. It sounds more formal and abstract than 想法 (xiǎngfǎ). Example: 他的思想很开放。(Tā de sīxiǎng hěn kāifàng.) His thinking is very open-minded.
Both characters have 心 (xīn, heart) at the bottom, which shows they are about the mind. 思 (sī) and 想 (xiǎng) both mean to think, so putting two thinking characters together gives you 思想, thought or ideology.
Common mistake: Learners often use 思想 for a simple everyday idea, like "I have an idea for dinner." In that case use 想法 (xiǎngfǎ) or 主意 (zhǔyi), because 思想 sounds too heavy and ideological.
思想 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
思 sī · to think · 9 strokes
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想 xiǎng · to think · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 思想.
| 意思 | yìsi | idea; opinion |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
| 想法 | xiǎngfǎ | way of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth) |
| 想到 | xiǎngdào | to think of; to call to mind |
| 想起 | xiǎngqǐ | to recall; to think of |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful |
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | an ideal; a dream |
| 想象 | xiǎngxiàng | to imagine; to envision; imagination |
| 梦想 | mèngxiǎng | (fig.) to dream of; dream |
| 没想到 | méi xiǎngdào | didn't expect |
| 想念 | xiǎngniàn | to miss; to remember with longing |
| 思考 | sīkǎo | to reflect on; to ponder over |
Questions about 思想
What does 思想 mean?
思想 (sīxiǎng) means "thought; thinking" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 思想?
思想 is made of 2 characters: 思 (9 strokes), 想 (13 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.
Is 思想 an HSK word?
Yes. 思想 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 思想 and 想法?
思想 refers to deeper, more systematic thinking or ideology, such as 儒家思想 (Rújiā sīxiǎng, Confucian thought). 想法 is a personal opinion or idea about something specific, and it is far more common in casual conversation.
Can 思想 be used as a verb meaning to think?
In modern Chinese it is almost always a noun. To say "to think," use 想 (xiǎng) or 思考 (sīkǎo) instead.