天宫 (Tiān gōng) — (proper noun) Tiangong, the Chinese space stati…

Definition

Proper name "Tiangong" — both the Chinese space station and, in Chinese mythology, the heavenly palace where gods and immortals live.

noun

(proper noun) Tiangongthe Chinese space station(mythology) heavenly palace, the abode of gods and immortals in Chinese lore

天宫。
Zhōng guó de Tiān gōng shì zhōng guó háng tiān shì yè de zhòng yào lǐ chéng bēi.
China's Tiangong is an important milestone in China's aerospace industry.
，天宫。
Zài shén huà gù shi lǐ, Tiān gōng zhù zhe hěn duō shén xiān.
In mythological stories, the heavenly palace is home to many immortals.
天宫。
Sān míng háng tiān yuán jí jiāng qián wǎng Tiān gōng zhí xíng rèn wu.
Three astronauts are about to head to Tiangong to carry out a mission.

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.

天 means heaven and 宫 means palace, so the word names the palace of heaven.

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

丁

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

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 宮; 宫 is its simplified writing.

宀呂宮

The traditional form 宮 is built from 宀 and 呂.