二元 (èryuán): dual; binary; bipolar

Meanings

1 dual; binary; bipolar
2 consisting of two elements or components

Characters

二

element; unit; origin

Examples

中国城乡二元结构问题一直是社会关注的重点。

Zhōngguó chéngnóng èryuán jiégòu wèntí yīzhí shì shèhuì guānzhù de zhòngdiǎn.

China's urban-rural dual structure has long been a key social concern.

哲学上的二元论认为世界由两种基本要素构成。

Zhéxué shàng de èryuánlùn rènwéi shìjiè yóu liǎng zhǒng jīběn yàosù gòuchéng.

Philosophical dualism holds that the world is made of two fundamental elements.

Tips

usage

二元 is used in many compound terms: 二元论 (dualism), 二元经济 (dual economy), 二元对立 (binary opposition). In computing, it overlaps with 二进制 (binary/base-2), but 二元 specifically means 'consisting of two elements' rather than 'base-2 number system.'