(zǔ) - group, team; set (measure word); to form into a group in Mandarin
zǔTraditional: 組
Translation
group, team; set (measure word); to form into a group
Word origin
A phono-semantic character: the silk radical 纟gives the meaning and 且 (qiě) supplies the sound; it first meant a woven silk band, later a set or group.
- Origin
- phonetic
- Root
- 纟(silk) + 且 (qiě, phonetic)
Stroke order
组
Examples
。
We split into four groups.
。
He is the leader of group three.
。
There are five people in each group.
。
This set of numbers is very odd.
。
She bought a new set of cups.
组 (zǔ) is a group in the organised sense: a working group, a class split into teams, a study group. It is smaller and more task-shaped than 团队 (tuán duì), which is a team as an ongoing unit, and it is the word teachers use when they divide a class.
It doubles as a measure word for things that come as a set, so 一组数字 is a set of figures and 一组照片 is a series of photographs. This is the sense you meet most often in reading, and it does not need a separate word in Mandarin the way English needs "set of".
As a verb it means to form or assemble, but almost always inside a compound rather than alone: 组成 (to make up), 组织 (to organise), 组合 (to combine). Leading roles get 组长, the group leader. Note the third tone, zǔ, which is easy to flatten next to a following fourth tone in 组织.
Where this fits
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组: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "组" (group, team; set (measure word); to form into a group): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 44.