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卫星 (wèi xīng) — satellite (natural or artificial); (adjective) satellite (attributive, as in satellite TV or satellite phone)

Definition

Both a natural moon (绕行星运行, as in 木星的卫星) and an artificial one (人造卫星). For the celestial body, 星球 is the general term for any planet/star/moon; 月球 is the specific 'Earth's moon'.

noun
satellite (natural or artificial)
adjective
satellite (attributive, as in satellite TV or satellite phone)
Measure word · 颗
Easily confused

Examples

  • 卫星。
    Zhè kē wèi xīng yòng yú tiān qì yù bào.
    This satellite is used for weather forecasting.
  • 卫星。
    Mù xīng yǒu hěn duō kē wèi xīng.
    Jupiter has many moons.
  • 卫星。
    wèi xīng Diàn shì zài zhōng guó nóng cūn hěn cháng jiàn.
    Satellite TV is very common in rural China.

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.

卫wèiguard
星xīngstar

卫 suggests guarding and 星 is a star, giving the idea of a satellite.

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 衛; 卫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi衛wèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 衛 is built from 行 as the sense part and 韋 as the sound part; the simplified 卫 is a shorthand.

Open 卫 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

Open 星 →
Appears in
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