图鉴 (tú jiàn) — illustrated handbook; pictorial guide

Definition

noun

illustrated handbookpictorial guide

Measure word · 本

图鉴卉。
Zhè běn zhí wù tú jiàn shōu lù le shàng qiān zhǒng huā huì.
This botanical illustrated handbook includes over a thousand species of flowers.
图鉴，。
Tā mǎi le yì běn niǎo lèi tú jiàn, yòng lái shí bié bù tóng pǐn zhǒng.
He bought a bird pictorial guide to identify different species.
图鉴。
Zhè běn kǒng lóng tú jiàn de chā tú fēi cháng jīng měi.
The illustrations in this dinosaur illustrated handbook are very exquisite.

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.

图túpicture

鉴jiànidentification

图 (picture) and 鉴 (identification) combine to mean an illustrated guide.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

囗啚圖

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

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 鑑; 鉴 is its simplified writing.

金監鑑

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān鑑jiàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 鑑 pairs 金, showing metal, with 監 for sound; the simplified 鉴 is a later abbreviation, not the source of this shape.