小分队 (xiǎo fēn duì) — small detachment; squad; task force

Definition

noun

small detachmentsquadtask force

Measure word · 支

小分队。
Zhè zhī xiǎo fēn duì fù zé zhēn chá dí qíng.
This squad is responsible for scouting enemy movements.
小分队。
Wǒ men zǔ chéng le yí gè wǔ rén xiǎo fēn duì qù shān qū kǎo chá.
We formed a five-person team to survey the mountain area.
小分队。
Jǐng chá xiǎo fēn duì xùn sù bāo wéi le nà dòng lóu.
The police squad quickly surrounded that building.

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.

分队detached team

偏正Modifier + head

“小” means small and “分队” means a detached team, giving a small squad.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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

八刀分

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

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 隊; 队 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阜阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

㒸

㒸㒸隊duì

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

The traditional form 隊 has 阜 as the meaning part and 㒸 as the sound part.

Appears in