传声器 (chuán shēng qì) — microphone

Definition

noun
microphone
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 传声器，。
    Zhè ge chuán shēng qì xiào guǒ hěn hǎo, tā shuō de huà fēi cháng qīng chǔ.
    This microphone works well; everything he says is very clear.
  • 传声器。
    Kāi huì de shí hou qǐng shǐ yòng qián miàn de chuán shēng qì.
    When having a meeting, please use the microphone in front.
  • 传声器，。
    Zhè ge chuán shēng qì de yīn zhì hěn hǎo, shì hé lù yīn.
    This microphone's sound quality is good; it's suitable for recording.

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.

传声transmit sound
传chuántransmit声shēngsound
动宾Verb + object
器qìdevice

传声 suggests transmitting sound, and 器 suggests a device, so together they mean a microphone.

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →

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