哲学系 (zhé xué jì) — department of philosophy

Definition

noun

department of philosophy

哲学系。
Tā qù nián kǎo jìn le běi jīng dà xué de zhé xué jì.
He got into Peking University's philosophy department last year.
哲学系。
zhé xué jì De lǎo shī dōu fēi cháng yǒu xué wèn.
The teachers in the philosophy department are all very knowledgeable.
哲学系。
Wǒ zài zhé xué jì xuǎn xiū le yì mén měi xué kè.
I took an elective aesthetics course in the philosophy department.

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.

哲学philosophy

偏正Modifier + head

系xìdepartment

哲学 (philosophy) and 系 (department) name a philosophy department.

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.

折口哲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

折

Same sound today

The form 哲 pairs 口 (mouth) with 折, which gives the sound.

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

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

系 is made by putting together 手 (hand) and 糸 (silk).