下载 (xià zài) — to download | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

verb

to download

下载。
Wǒ cóng wǎng shàng xià zài le hěn duō zhào piàn.
I downloaded many photos from the internet.
，下载。
Zhè ge diàn yǐng tài dà, xià zài xū yào hěn cháng shí jiān.
This movie is too big; downloading it takes a long time.
下载？
Nǐ néng bù néng bāng wǒ bǎ nà shǒu gē xià zài xià lái?
Can you help me download that song?

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.

载zǎiload/carry

The '下' down and '载' load combine to mean moving data down to a device.

Characters in this word

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

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 載; 载 is its simplified writing.

車𢦏載

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūchariot

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢦏

𢦏𢦏載zài

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

The traditional form 載 has 車, a chariot, and 𢦏 gives the sound; 载 is its simplified form.

Appears in