地震仪 (dì zhèn yí) — seismograph

Definition

noun
seismograph
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 地震仪。
    Zhāng héng fā míng le shì jiè shàng dì yī tái dì zhèn yí.
    Zhang Heng invented the world's first seismograph.
  • 。
    Kē xué jiā yòng dì zhèn yí lái jiǎn cè dì zhèn de qiáng dù.
    Scientists use seismographs to detect earthquake intensity.
  • 地震仪。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ zhǎn chū le yì tái gǔ lǎo de dì zhèn yí.
    The museum displayed an ancient seismograph.

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.

地震earthquake
地dìearth震zhènshake
主谓Subject + predicate
仪yíinstrument

An instrument for earthquakes: 地震 names the phenomenon, 仪 names the device.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
辰
辰chén震zhèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

震 combines 雨 (rain) with 辰 (chén), which gives the sound; 雨 is the part associated with the character’s meaning.

Open 震 →

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 儀; 仪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
義
義yì儀yí
Same sound today

In the traditional form 儀, the left part 亻 shows a person, and the right part 義 supplies the sound. This description is about 儀, not the simplified 仪.

Open 仪 →

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