媒 méi go-between
go-between; matchmaker; medium
How to remember 媒: 女 woman + 某 some = go-between. The chatty woman at the tea house knows some nice young man for every single girl, the town's busiest go-between.
Component breakdown
媒 = 女 woman + 某 some
- 女 woman
- 某 some
The chatty woman at the tea house knows some nice young man for every single girl, the town's busiest go-between.
How it is used
- 媒体 (méitǐ), media, is by far the most common word, referring to news outlets, press, and broadcast media.
- 多媒体 (duōméitǐ), multimedia, and 新媒体 (xīnméitǐ), new/digital media, are common tech and marketing terms.
- 媒介 (méijiè), medium/intermediary, is more abstract and academic than 媒体.
- The original sense of "go-between/matchmaker" survives in 做媒 (zuò méi): to act as a matchmaker in traditional arranged introductions.