‘词语’ (cí yǔ) literally combines ‘词’ (cí), meaning ‘word’ or ‘lexical item’, and ‘语’ (yǔ), meaning ‘language’, ‘speech’, or ‘expression’. Together, it refers broadly to a ‘word’ or ‘expression’—especially one that functions as a meaningful unit in language, whether a single word like ‘苹果’ (píngguǒ, ‘apple’) or a multi-character phrase like ‘风吹草动’ (fēng chuī cǎo dòng, ‘a slight stir’). Unlike ‘字’ (zì), which means ‘character’, ‘词语’ emphasizes semantic and functional unity: it’s what you look up in a dictionary entry and use to convey ideas.

This term is commonly used in language learning, teaching, and linguistics contexts—for example, when discussing vocabulary building, explaining how words combine into phrases, or analyzing written or spoken texts. It’s neutral in register and appropriate for both formal instruction and everyday conversation about language itself.