凯旋门 (kǎi xuán mén) — triumphal arch (a monumental structure built to…

Definition

noun

triumphal arch (a monumental structure built to celebrate a military victory)the Arc de Triomphe (in Paris)

Measure word · 座

凯旋门。
Míng nián wǒ dǎ suàn qù bā lí cān guān kǎi xuán mén.
Next year I plan to go to Paris and visit the Arc de Triomphe.
凯旋门，。
Luó mǎ yě yǒu yí zuò zhù míng de kǎi xuán mén, jiào tí tú sī kǎi xuán mén.
Rome also has a famous triumphal arch called the Arch of Titus.
凯旋门。
Zhè zuò kǎi xuán mén shì wèi le jì niàn zhàn zhēng shèng lì ér jiàn zào de.
This triumphal arch was built to commemorate a war victory.

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.

凯旋victorious return

偏正Modifier + head

凯旋 (victorious return) and 门 (gate) together name a monumental arch celebrating triumph.

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 凱; 凯 is its simplified writing.

豈几凱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

豈豈qǐdrum

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

几jǐ凱kǎi

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

The traditional form 凱 may have been built from 豈, a drum, and 几 to give the sound; the simplified 凯 is a later abbreviation.

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

旋 combines 㫃 (a flag), 止 (a foot), and 〇 (a circle), and 〇 also gave the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.