双子座 (Shuāng zǐ zuò) — Gemini (constellation/astrological sign) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Zodiac sign / constellation Gemini (May 21 – June 21). A compound of 座 'seat/constellation' — learn it together with the 星座 pattern used to ask 'What's your sign?'

noun

Gemini (constellation/astrological sign)

Examples

？双子座。
Nǐ shì shén me xīng zuò? wǒ shì Shuāng zǐ zuò.
What's your zodiac sign? I'm Gemini.
双子座V。
Shuāng zǐ zuò Zài yè kōng zhōng chéng yí gè dǎo V zì xíng.
Gemini forms an inverted V shape in the night sky.
双子座。
Xǔ duō wén huà dōu yǒu guān yú Shuāng zǐ zuò de shén huà gù shi.
Many cultures have myths about Gemini.

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.

双子twins

双shuāngpair子zǐchildren

偏正Modifier + head

座zuòconstellation

The 双 pair of 子 children gives the twins, while 座 is the constellation or sign.

Characters in this word

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

又又双

又又yòu
又又yòu

双 is made of two 又 parts side by side. Repeating 又 gives the sense of a pair.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

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

广坐座

Meaning part形符xíngfú

广广guǎnghouse on cliff

Sound part声符shēngfú

坐

坐zuò座zuò

Same sound today

座 pairs 广, a house on a cliff, with 坐 to give the sound.

Appears in

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