发射塔 (fā shè tǎ) — launching tower; launch pad tower

Definition

noun

launching towerlaunch pad tower

Measure word · 座

发射塔，。
Huǒ jiàn yǐ jīng ān zhuāng zài fā shè tǎ shàng, zhǔn bèi fā shè.
The rocket has been installed on the launching tower and is ready for launch.
发射塔，。
Zhè zuò fā shè tǎ gāo wǔ shí mǐ, shì háng tiān zhōng xīn de zhǔ yào shè shī.
This launching tower is 50 meters tall and is the main facility of the space center.
发射塔。
Gōng chéng shī zhèng zài jiǎn chá fā shè tǎ de gè gè bù jiàn.
The engineers are inspecting the various components of the launching tower.

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.

发射launch

联合Side by side

发 and 射 together describe sending out, and 塔 names the tower, giving a launching tower.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

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

In 射, the left part comes from 弓 (bow) and 矢 (arrow), and the right part comes from a hand drawing the bowstring.

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

土荅塔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

荅

荅dá塔tǎ

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

塔 shows 土 (earth) for the meaning and 荅 (dá) for the sound.