三部曲 (sān bù qǔ) — trilogy | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

trilogy

Examples

三部曲。
Zhè bù sān bù qǔ gǎi biān zì tóng míng kē huàn xiǎo shuō.
This trilogy is adapted from a science fiction novel of the same name.
三部曲。
Wǒ zuì xǐ huan de shì tā de dì èr bù sān bù qǔ.
My favorite is his second trilogy.
三部曲。
Xǔ duō dǎo yǎn dōu cháng shì guò pāi shè yí gè wán zhěng de sān bù qǔ.
Many directors have attempted to film a complete trilogy.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

三部three parts

三sānthree部bùpart

偏正Modifier + head

三部 'three parts' and 曲 'piece' mean a piece in three parts.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu部bù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

曲 is drawn as a bent object, matching the meaning 'bend'.

Appears in

Literature & Poetry

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