社会 (shèhuì)

社会 refers to the organized collective of people with shared laws, institutions, and culture, or to the broader community outside one's immediate circle.

Meanings

[noun] Society; community; the public.

Example Sentences

每个人都应该对社会做出贡献。 Měi gè rén dōu yīnggāi duì shèhuì zuòchū gòngxiàn. Everyone should make a contribution to society.

科技的进步推动了社会的发展。 Kējì de jìnbù tuīdòng le shèhuì de fāzhǎn. Advances in science and technology have driven the development of society.

他毕业后进入了社会，找到了工作。 Tā bìyè hòu jìnrù le shèhuì, zhǎodào le gōngzuò. After graduating, he entered society and found a job.

这个问题引起了社会各界的广泛关注。 Zhège wèntí yǐnqǐ le shèhuì gèjiè de guǎngfàn guānzhù. This issue aroused widespread attention from all sectors of society.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
社会发展	social development
社会问题	social problem
进入社会	to enter society (after graduation)
社会各界	all sectors of society
对社会有益	beneficial to society

Usage Notes

社会 is a foundational term in discussions of Chinese culture, politics, and daily life. The phrase 进入社会 (enter society) specifically means graduating and beginning adult working life. 社会各界 (all sectors of society) is common in news and formal writing.

Memory Hook

社 refers to a community gathering around a shrine/altar, and 会 means "meeting/gathering" — when communities gather together, they form a society.