advice
Definitions
An opinion or recommendation offered to guide someone's action
建议，劝告
Root Breakdown
Native EnglishFrom Old French avis, from Latin ad- (to) + visum ('what seems' — from videre, to see). Advice originally meant 'how it seems to me when I look at your situation' — a considered view passed on to help you decide.
Root vis still carries 107 more wordsWhy It Means This
Advice is built from the 'see' root: to advise is to look at someone's situation and tell them how it looks to you. That's why advice is what you give and a view is how you see — the same Latin visum sits inside both. Note: advice (noun) and advise (verb) differ in both spelling and sound — /əd'vaɪs/ vs /əd'vaɪz/.
Usage Guide
- Uncountable: advice is always uncountable. Say 'some advice,' 'a piece of advice,' 'a word of advice' — never 'an advice' or 'advices.'
- Spelling vs advise: advice = noun (with c, /s/ sound); advise = verb (with s, /z/ sound). 'She gave me advice' / 'She advised me.'
- A common error for Chinese learners: 'He gave me many advices.' → 'He gave me a lot of advice.'
Example Sentences
- 1.
Let me give you a piece of advice before you sign anything.
- 2.
She always asks her mentor for advice on big decisions.
- 3.
Against my advice, he quit the job anyway.
- 4.
The doctor's advice was to rest for a week.
Easily Confused
advice vs advise — the #1 confusion. advice is the noun (a thing you give: 'good advice'); advise is the verb (the action: 'I advise you to wait'). Trick: notice = noun, advice = noun (both end in -ice, both /s/). If you can put 'some' in front, it's advice.