TongTong
Sign in

大提琴 (dà tí qín) — cello

Definition

noun
cello
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 大提琴。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù kāi shǐ xué dà tí qín.
    She started learning the cello as a child.
  • 大提琴。
    Zhè bǎ dà tí qín de yīn sè fēi cháng yōu měi.
    The tone of this cello is very beautiful.
  • 大提琴。
    Tā zhèng zài liàn xí yì shǒu dà tí qín dú zòu qǔ.
    He is practicing a cello solo piece.

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.

大dàbig
提琴violin
提tícarry琴qíninstrument
动宾Verb + object

大 (big) marks the larger kind of 提琴, where 提 (carry) and 琴 (instrument) form a held string instrument.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì提tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

提 shows 扌 (hand) beside 是, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 提 →

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
珡珡qín
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn琴qín
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

琴 pairs 珡, the part tied to its sense as a stringed instrument, with 今, which gives the sound.

Open 琴 →
Appears in
Music

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.