辞典 meaning in English

cídiǎn

variant of 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3]

HSK 5nounTraditional 辭典21 strokes

Meaning of 辞典

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

cídiǎn

variant of 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3]

How to use 辞典

辞典 is a variant of 词典 (cídiǎn) and means the same thing. It often appears in the titles of published reference works and online dictionaries. Example: 我在辞典里查了这个词。(Wǒ zài cídiǎn lǐ chále zhège cí.) I looked this word up in the dictionary.

辞 (cí) means words or phrasing, and 典 (diǎn) means a standard reference book, as in 经典 (jīngdiǎn) the classics. Put them together and you get a book of words: a dictionary.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 辞 and 词 because both are read cí. In 辞典 and 词典 either one is fine, but in 辞职 (cízhí, to resign) only 辞 is correct, and in everyday words like 生词 (shēngcí, new word) only 词 is correct.

辞典 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ想xiǎng要yào买mǎi便pián宜yi的de辞cí典diǎn。

I want to buy a cheap dictionary.

若ruò你nǐ不bù懂dǒng词cí义yì，就jiù在zài辞cí典diǎn上shàng查chá阅yuè一yī下xià吧ba。

If you don't know what the word means, look it up in the dictionary.

这zhè电diàn子zi辞cí典diǎn的de好hǎo处chù就jiù是shì便biàn于yú携xié带dài。

The good thing about this electronic dictionary is that it's easy to carry.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

辞 cí · to resign · 13 strokes

典 diǎn · law · 8 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 辞典.

字典	zìdiǎn	Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a
词典	cídiǎn	dictionary
经典	jīngdiǎn	the classics; scriptures
典型	diǎnxíng	model; typical case
辞职	cízhí	to resign
典礼	diǎnlǐ	ceremony; celebration
古典	gǔdiǎn	classical
告辞	gàocí	to say goodbye; to take one's leave
庆典	qìngdiǎn	celebration
典范	diǎnfàn	model; example
言辞	yáncí	words; expression
辞退	cítuì	to dismiss; to discharge

Questions about 辞典

What does 辞典 mean?

辞典 (cídiǎn) means "variant of 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3]" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 辞典?

辞典 is made of 2 characters: 辞 (13 strokes), 典 (8 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.

Is 辞典 an HSK word?

Yes. 辞典 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 辞典 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 辞典 is written 辭典.

What is the difference between 辞典 and 词典?

They mean the same thing and are pronounced the same. 词典 is the more common everyday form, while 辞典 shows up more often in book titles and in Taiwan.

Is 辞典 the same as 字典?

Not quite. 字典 (zìdiǎn) mainly lists single characters, while 辞典 or 词典 lists words and phrases made of one or more characters.