症结

癥結

zhēngjié

noun HSK 7-9 #22,426

Meanings

1 crux of an issue; sticking point
2 hard lump in the abdomen (in Chinese medicine)

Characters

disease; ailment

Examples

HSK 5

我们必须找到问题的症结所在。

Wǒmen bìxū zhǎodào wèntí de zhēngjié suǒzài.

We must find the crux of the problem.

HSK 7-9

谈判的症结在于价格分歧。

Tánpàn de zhēngjié zàiyú jiàgé fēnqí.

The sticking point of the negotiation lies in the price disagreement.

Tips

history

Originally a traditional Chinese medicine term for a hard lump or blockage in the abdomen. It evolved into a metaphor for the core difficulty or blockage in any problem.

Stroke Order

症 zhèng

结 jié