中继站 (zhōng jì zhàn) — relay station

Definition

noun

relay station

Measure word · 个

Examples

中继站。
Zhè ge zhōng jì zhàn fù zé zhuǎn fā wèi xīng xìn hào.
This relay station is responsible for forwarding satellite signals.
中继站。
Tā men zài yí zuò shān shàng jiàn lì le tōng xìn zhōng jì zhàn.
They built a communication relay station on a mountain.
中继站，。
Yóu yú zhōng jì zhàn chū xiàn gù zhàng, xìn hào zhōng duàn le.
Due to a fault in the relay station, the signal was interrupted.

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.

中继middle continuation

中zhōngmiddle继jìcontinue

偏正Modifier + head

站zhànstation

'中' suggests middle, '继' suggests continuing, and '站' is a station; together they name a station that continues a signal through a middle point.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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 繼; 继 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìrope

Sound part声符shēngfú

㡭

㡭㡭繼jì

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

The traditional form 繼 pairs 糸 (rope) with 㡭 as a sound part; an older form may have shown four silk strands. The simplified 继 is only a later shorthand.

Open 继 →

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

立占站

Meaning part形符xíngfú

立立lì

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn站zhàn

Same sound today

站 has 立 on the left and 占 on the right; 立 relates to standing, and 占 gives the sound.

Open 站 →

Appears in