云团 (yún tuán) — cloud cluster

Definition

A 'cloud cluster' is a large, organized mass of clouds tracked as a single weather system, used in meteorological contexts. It refers to the whole grouped cloud formation, not an individual cloud (云).

noun
cloud cluster
Measure word · 团

Examples

  • ，云团。
    Wèi xīng tú xiàng xiǎn shì, yí gè jù dà de yún tuán zhèng zài xiàng hǎi àn yí dòng.
    Satellite images show a huge cloud cluster moving toward the coast.
  • 云团。
    Qì xiàng zhuān jiā zhèng zài jiān cè zhè ge yún tuán de yǎn biàn guò chéng.
    Meteorologists are monitoring the evolution of this cloud cluster.
  • 云团，。
    Zhè ge yún tuán nèi bù duì liú fēi cháng wàng shèng, kě néng huì dài lái bào yǔ.
    The convection inside this cloud cluster is very strong and may bring heavy rain.

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.

云yúncloud
团tuáncluster

云 and 团 together mean a cluster of clouds.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雲; 云 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 雲 is 雨 (rain) plus 云; 云 was the original writing for 'cloud', and 雨 was added to separate it from the borrowed sense 'to say'.

Open 云 →

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 團; 团 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān團tuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 團 combines 囗 as a meaning part with 專 as a sound part; the story is about 團, not about 团.

Open 团 →

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