外交官 (wài jiāo guān) — diplomat | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

diplomat

Measure word · 位

外交官，。
Tā shì yì míng chū sè de wài jiāo guān, wèi guó jiā zuò le hěn duō gòng xiàn.
He is an outstanding diplomat who has made many contributions to the country.
，。
Zhè cì fēng huì, duō guó wài jiāo guān dōu chū xí le.
Many diplomats from various countries attended this summit.
外交官，。
wài jiāo guān De gōng zuò bù jǐn shì tán pàn, hái bāo kuò wén huà jiāo liú.
A diplomat's work includes not only negotiations but also cultural exchange.

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.

外交foreign relations

外wàiforeign交jiāorelations

偏正Modifier + head

外 and 交 give foreign relations, while 官 marks an official in that field.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

月

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

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

官 pairs 宀, a roof, with 𠂤, rooms beneath it, to depict an official building.

Appears in