verb / noun HSK 5
Traditional 回顧
huí
to look back on · to review · to retrospect · review · retrospection

Meaning

回顾 means to look back at or review past events, experiences, or information. It combines the idea of 'turning back' (回) with 'looking' (顾), creating the meaning of retrospectively examining something that has already happened. It's commonly used in both formal and informal contexts when reflecting on history, memories, or reviewing material.

Usage

This word is widely used in academic, professional, and everyday contexts. You'll hear it when someone reviews study material before an exam (回顾知识点), when reflecting on past experiences (回顾过去), or in formal settings like annual reviews (年度回顾). It's neutral in register and appropriate for both spoken and written Chinese.

Examples

  1. 01
    考试前我们需要回顾一下这学期学过的内容。
    Kǎo shì qián men yào huí xià zhè xué xué guò de nèi róng.
    Before the exam, we need to review the content we studied this semester.
  2. 02
    他写了一篇文章回顾自己的职业生涯。
    xiě le piān wén zhāng huí de zhí shēng .
    He wrote an article looking back on his career.

Characters

Measure words

  • 做一次回顾

Common collocations

  • 回顾过去
    huí guò
    to look back on the past
  • 回顾历史
    huí shǐ
    to review history
  • 年度回顾
    nián huí
    annual review
  • 回顾一下
    huí xià
    to review briefly

Antonyms

Origin

The word combines 回 (to return/turn back) with 顾 (to look/regard), literally meaning 'to turn back and look,' which naturally extends to the concept of reviewing or reflecting on the past.

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