对撞机 (duì zhuàng jī) — particle collider

Definition

noun
particle collider
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 对撞机。
    Kē xué jiā men jiàn zào le yì tái dà xíng duì zhuàng jī.
    Scientists built a large particle collider.
  • 对撞机。
    Zhè zuò duì zhuàng jī zào jià fēi cháng gāo.
    This collider was very expensive to build.
  • 对撞机。
    Tōng guò duì zhuàng jī fā xiàn le xīn de lì zǐ.
    Through the collider, new particles were discovered.

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.

对撞collide
对duìmutually撞zhuàngcollide
偏正Modifier + head
机jīmachine

'对撞' means particles collide with each other, and '机' is the machine that does it.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
童
童tóng撞zhuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 扌 is the hand radical, written in full as 手, and the right side 童 supplies the sound.

Open 撞 →

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →

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