嫦娥 (Cháng é) — Chang'e (Chinese moon goddess); Chang'e (series of PRC lunar spacecraft / lunar exploration program)

Definition

嫦娥 (Cháng'é) is both the Chinese moon goddess from mythology and the name of China's lunar exploration spacecraft program. The legend is often told during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

noun
Chang'e (Chinese moon goddess)Chang'e (series of PRC lunar spacecraft / lunar exploration program)

Examples

  • 嫦娥。
    Cháng é De gù shi zài zhōng guó jiā yù hù xiǎo.
    The story of Chang'e is known in every household in China.
  • 嫦娥。
    Zhōng guó de tàn yuè gōng chéng yǐ Cháng é mìng míng.
    China's lunar exploration program is named after Chang'e.
  • ，嫦娥。
    Zài zhōng qiū jié, rén men huì jiǎng Cháng é bēn yuè de chuán shuō.
    During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people tell the legend of Chang'e flying to the moon.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

嫦cháng
娥é

The characters 嫦 and 娥 carry no independent meaning here; together they name the moon goddess.

Sound-only characters

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
常
常cháng嫦
Same sound today

嫦 pairs 女, which points to a woman, with 常, which tells you how to say it.

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ娥é
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

娥 pairs 女, a woman, with 我, which gives the sound.

Open 娥 →

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