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急救车 (jí jiù chē) — ambulance

Definition

noun
ambulance
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 急救车！
    Qǐng kuài diǎn jiào jí jiù chē!
    Please call an ambulance quickly!
  • 急救车。
    jí jiù chē Hěn kuài jiù dào le xiàn chǎng.
    The ambulance arrived at the scene very quickly.
  • 急救车。
    Bìng rén bèi tái shàng le jí jiù chē.
    The patient was carried onto the ambulance.

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.

急救emergency aid
急jíurgent救jiùrescue
偏正Modifier + head
车chēvehicle

The 急 and 救 of urgent rescue describe the 车, giving a vehicle for emergency care.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí急jí
Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, which gives the sound.

Open 急 →

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú救jiù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 救, 求 gives the sound, and 攴 is the action part.

Open 救 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →
Appears in
Hospital & ClinicVehicles

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