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书名 (shū míng) — book title

Definition

noun
book title
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 书名。
    Zhè běn shū de shū míng hěn yǒu yì si.
    The title of this book is very interesting.
  • 书名？
    Nǐ néng gào sù wǒ nà běn xiǎo shuō de shū míng ma?
    Can you tell me the title of that novel?
  • 书名。
    Wǒ zài wǎng shàng chá dào le nà běn cí diǎn de shū míng.
    I found the title of that dictionary online.

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.

书shūbook
名míngtitle

'书' points to a book and '名' gives its title, making a book title.

Characters in this word

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →
Appears in
Reading & Writing

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