互换 (hù huàn) — to exchange, to swap

Definition

verb
to exchangeto swap

Examples

  • 互换。
    Wǒ men hù huàn yí xià zuò wèi ba.
    Let's swap seats.
  • 互换。
    Cān huì zhě zhī jiān hù huàn le lián xì fāng shì.
    The participants exchanged contact information.
  • ，互换。
    Xīn nián jù huì shí, dà jiā yì qǐ hù huàn lǐ wù.
    At the New Year's party, everyone exchanged gifts.

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.

互hùmutually
换huànexchange

互 'mutually' specifies how 换 'exchange' happens.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The form 互 is a tooth shape with a distinguishing mark added.

Open 互 →

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 換; 换 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
奐
奐huàn換huàn
Same sound today

For the traditional form 換, 手 is the hand part and 奐 gives the sound; this note is about 換, not the simplified 换.

Open 换 →

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