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太阳系 (tài yáng xì) — solar system

Definition

noun
solar system

Examples

  • 太阳系。
    tài yáng xì Bāo kuò bā dà xíng xīng.
    The solar system includes eight planets.
  • 太阳系。
    Dì qiú shì tài yáng xì lǐ lí tài yáng dì sān yuǎn de xíng xīng.
    Earth is the third planet from the sun in the solar system.
  • 太阳系。
    Kē xué jiā zài tài yáng xì wài fā xiàn le xīn de xíng xīng.
    Scientists discovered a new planet outside the solar system.

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.

太阳sun
太tàigreat阳yángsun
偏正Modifier + head
系xìsystem

The 太阳 (the sun) is the central body of the 系 (system) it names.

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.

太 is a modified form of 大, with an extra dot added to show 'too big'.

Open 太 →

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 陽; 阳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng陽yáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 陽, 阜 shows a hill and 昜 is the older character for the word, tied to sunshine and the sound; simplified 阳 is a later shorthand.

Open 阳 →

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

系 is made by putting together 手 (hand) and 糸 (silk).

Open 系 →
Appears in
Sky & Space

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