四星级 (sì xīng jí) — four-star (rating, typically for hotels, restaurants, etc.)

Definition

adjective
four-star (rating, typically for hotels, restaurants, etc.)

Examples

  • 四星级，。
    Zhè jiā jiǔ diàn shì sì xīng jí de, fú wù fēi cháng hǎo.
    This hotel is four-star, and the service is very good.
  • 四星级，。
    Wǒ men zhù zài yì jiā sì xīng jí lǚ guǎn, fáng jiān hěn shū fu.
    We stayed at a four-star hotel, and the room was very comfortable.
  • 四星级，。
    Zhè jiā zhōng cān tīng bèi píng wéi sì xīng jí, jià gé yě bú guì.
    This Chinese restaurant was rated four-star, and the price is not expensive.

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.

四星four stars
四sìfour星xīngstar
偏正Modifier + head
级jígrade

四 four and 星 star make 四星, and 级 grade gives a 四星级 rating.

Characters in this word

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

The form 四 was drawn as a nose breathing out. It later came to be used for the word four.

Open 四 →

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 →

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 級; 级 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí級jí
Same sound today

The traditional form 級 has 糹 (thread) and 及 as a sound part; its original sense was a sequence related to silk. The simplified 级 is a later shorthand.

Open 级 →

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