传声筒 (chuán shēng tǒng) — megaphone; loudspeaker; (figurative) mouthpiece; someone who mechanically repeats another's words

Definition

Literally 'sound-transmitting tube': a megaphone (the device), and figuratively a person who just echoes someone else's words. The figurative sense is a criticism — the person has no opinions of their own.

noun
megaphoneloudspeaker(figurative) mouthpiecesomeone who mechanically repeats another's words
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 传声筒，。
    Tā zài tái shàng ná zhe chuán shēng tǒng hǎn huà, shēng yīn chuán dé hěn yuǎn.
    He shouted through a megaphone on the stage, and his voice carried far.
  • 传声筒，。
    Tā zhǐ shì lǐng dǎo de chuán shēng tǒng, zì jǐ méi yǒu rèn hé xiǎng fǎ.
    He's just the leader's mouthpiece — he has no ideas of his own.
  • 传声筒。
    Méi tǐ bù néng chéng wéi quán lì de chuán shēng tǒng.
    The media must not become a megaphone for those in power.

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
筒tǒngtube

传声 means transmit sound, and 筒 is a tube; together they name a tube that transmits sound.

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 →

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
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng筒tǒng
Same sound today

The bamboo part 竹 marks 筒 as a bamboo tube, and 同 gives its sound.

Open 筒 →

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