信鸽 (xìn gē) — carrier pigeon, homing pigeon | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

carrier pigeonhoming pigeon

Measure word · 只

Examples

信鸽。
Tā yǎng le yì zhī xìn gē.
He keeps a carrier pigeon.
信鸽。
Zhè zhī xìn gē néng cóng hěn yuǎn de dì fāng fēi huí lái.
This carrier pigeon can fly back from a very far place.
，信鸽。
Zài gǔ dài, rén men yòng xìn gē chuán dì xiāo xi.
In ancient times, people used carrier pigeons to transmit messages.

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.

信xìnletter/message

鸽gēpigeon

信 refers to letters or messages and 鸽 is a pigeon, so it means a pigeon used to carry messages.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánwords

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén信xìn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

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 鴿; 鸽 is its simplified writing.

合鳥鴿

Meaning part形符xíngfú

鳥鳥niǎobird

Sound part声符shēngfú

合

合hé鴿gē

Same sound today

The traditional form 鴿 pairs 鳥, meaning bird, with 合, which gives the sound; the simplified 鸽 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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