解决
to solve; to resolve
jiějué
What does 解决 mean?
解决 (jiějué) is a verb meaning 'to solve,' 'to resolve,' or 'to settle.' It takes problems, difficulties, disputes, or questions as its object — 解决问题 (solve a problem), 解决困难 (resolve a difficulty), 解决矛盾 (resolve a conflict). Unlike English 'solve,' which mostly applies to puzzles or technical problems, 解决 covers a wider range: it can mean fixing a bug, settling an argument, dealing with a logistical issue, or even meeting a basic need (解决吃饭问题 = sort out the food situation).
It implies the problem is now gone, not just reduced. The slightly more casual spoken synonym is 搞定 (gǎodìng); the more formal written synonym is 化解 (huàjiě). The character 解 means 'to untie / unlock' and 决 means 'to decide / break through,' giving a literal sense of cutting through a knot.
Note: Neutral in both speech and writing. Common in business, technical, and everyday contexts. The casual spoken alternative is 搞定 (gǎodìng, 'get it handled').
Character breakdown
to untie; unlock; explain
to decide; break through
Memory hook: Untie (解) the knot and break through (决) the blockage — you've solved the problem.
Example sentences
这个问题很难解决。
Zhège wèntí hěn nán jiějué.
This problem is hard to solve.
neutral
你能帮我解决一下吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ jiějué yíxià ma?
Can you help me sort this out?
spoken
我们想了很多办法来解决这个问题。
Wǒmen xiǎng le hěn duō bànfǎ lái jiějué zhège wèntí.
We thought of many ways to solve this problem.
neutral
这件事已经解决了。
Zhè jiàn shì yǐjīng jiějué le.
This matter has already been resolved.
neutral
公司正在努力解决客户的问题。
Gōngsī zhèngzài nǔlì jiějué kèhù de wèntí.
The company is working hard to solve the customer's problems.
written
Common phrases with 解决
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
解决 appears in 3 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
搞定 is spoken and casual — 'got it handled,' 'sorted.' Use it among friends or coworkers (这个我搞定了 = I took care of it). 解决 is neutral and works in writing, meetings, or any formal context.
处理 means 'to handle / deal with' — it just says you took action, not that the problem is gone. 解决 implies the problem is fixed. You can 处理 a complaint without 解决 it.
化解 is more formal/written and used for tensions, conflicts, or crises (化解矛盾 = defuse a conflict). 解决 is the everyday all-purpose word.