历史
history
lìshǐ
What does 历史 mean?
历史 (lìshǐ) means 'history' — both the academic subject and the actual past events of a country, person, or institution. As a school subject: 历史课 (history class), 学历史 (study history). As 'the past': 中国的历史 (China's history), 这家公司有100年的历史 ('this company has 100 years of history'). Unlike English, Chinese commonly treats 'has history' as a way to say something is old or established: 有历史 literally 'has history' = 'is historic / well-established.'
The character 历 (calendar / experience / pass through) plus 史 (records of the past) gives the literal sense 'records of what has been lived through.' Common adjective form is 历史的 or 历史性的 (historic). Do not confuse with 故事 (gùshi, 'story') — 历史 is real, documented;
Character breakdown
to experience; pass through; calendar
history; historical records
Memory hook: 历 (experience/pass through) + 史 (records) = the records of what has been passed through — history.
Measure word for 历史
Example sentences
我喜欢学中国历史。
Wǒ xǐhuan xué Zhōngguó lìshǐ.
I like studying Chinese history.
neutral
这本书讲的是历史。
Zhè běn shū jiǎng de shì lìshǐ.
This book is about history.
neutral
北京有很长的历史。
Běijīng yǒu hěn cháng de lìshǐ.
Beijing has a very long history.
neutral
明天我们有历史课。
Míngtiān wǒmen yǒu lìshǐ kè.
Tomorrow we have a history class.
spoken
Common phrases with 历史
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
历史 appears in 6 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
Don't confuse 历史 with
故事 means 'story' and can be fiction or fact. 历史 is real, recorded past. A 历史故事 is 'a story FROM history' — using both words together is common.
厉害 ('amazing / formidable / severe') sounds similar in the first syllable. 历史 is the noun 'history.' Different characters, different meanings — just listen for what follows 'lì.'