(zhèng) — (classifier) for paintings, photographs, film frames, and similar discrete visual units

Definition

A specialized measure word for a single still image — one frame of film, one photograph, one picture in a sequence. Use it for discrete visual units, not for 照片 in the sense of 'copies/prints' (which takes 张).

classifier
for paintings, photographs, film frames, and similar discrete visual units

Examples

  • Zhǎn chū de měi zhèng zhào piàn dōu pèi yǒu shuō míng.
    Each exhibited photo is accompanied by a description.
  • Tā zhī pāi le shí zhèng zhào piàn, jiù pāi wán le.
    He only took ten frames of photos and then he finished shooting.
  • Zhè bù diàn yǐng de zuì hòu yì zhèng huà miàn fēi cháng gǎn rén.
    The last frame of this movie is very moving.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 幀; 帧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhēnzhēn
Same sound today

The traditional form 幀 pairs 巾 with 貞, where 貞 gives the sound; the simplified 帧 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound component.

Appears in

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