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主题歌 (zhǔ tí gē) — theme song

Definition

noun
theme song
Measure word · 首

Examples

  • 主题歌。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de zhǔ tí gē fēi cháng hǎo tīng.
    The theme song of this movie is very nice.
  • 主题歌？
    Shuí chàng le diàn shì jù de zhǔ tí gē?
    Who sang the theme song of the TV series?
  • 主题歌。
    Zhè shǒu zhǔ tí gē wǒ tīng le wú shù biàn.
    I've listened to this theme song countless times.

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.

主题main topic
主zhǔmain题títopic
偏正Modifier + head
歌gēsong

主题 means 'main topic', and 歌 means 'song', giving a song about that topic.

Characters in this word

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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 題; 题 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì題tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 题, the traditional form 題 uses 是 for sound and 頁 for head, and means 'forehead'.

Open 题 →

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
欠欠qiànblow
Sound part声符shēngfú
哥
哥gē歌gē
Same sound today

The shape 歌 uses 哥 for the sound and 欠, meaning blow. It came from a form of 哥 used for singing.

Open 歌 →
Appears in
Music

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