中继 (zhōng jì) — to relay (signals, data, communications, etc.)

Definition

中继 (zhōng jì) means 'to relay' in a technical/telecom sense — passing a signal or data through an intermediate point to extend its range, not simply 'transmitting' or 'sending'.

verb
to relay (signals, data, communications, etc.)

Examples

  • 中继。
    Zhè ge jī zhàn kě yǐ zhōng jì shǒu jī xìn hào dào gèng yuǎn de qū yù.
    This base station can relay cell phone signals to a farther area.
  • 中继。
    Tōng xìn wèi xīng fù zé zhōng jì dì miàn zhàn de zhǐ lìng.
    The communications satellite is responsible for relaying commands from the ground station.
  • 中继。
    Wǒ men xū yào jiàn lì yí gè xīn de zhōng jì wǎng luò lái fù gài zhěng gè shān qū.
    We need to build a new relay network to cover the entire mountain area.

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zhōngmiddle
继jìcontinue

中 marks a middle point, and 继 means to continue, so signals are continued onward from the middle.

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 →

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