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恒星 (héng xīng) — (fixed) star

Definition

恒星 is the technical/scientific term for a 'star' as a celestial body (like the sun). Unlike 星星 (everyday 'star in the sky') and 明星 ('celebrity'), it is not used for people.

noun
(fixed) star
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 恒星。
    Tài yáng shì yì kē héng xīng.
    The sun is a fixed star.
  • 恒星。
    Wǎn shàng wǒ men kě yǐ zài tiān kōng kàn dào xǔ duō héng xīng.
    At night we can see many fixed stars in the sky.
  • 恒星。
    Kē xué jiā tōng guò wàng yuǎn jìng yán jiū héng xīng.
    Scientists study fixed stars through telescopes.

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.

恒héngconstant
星xīngstar

恒 (constant) and 星 (star) combine: a star that stays fixed in the sky.

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 恆; 恒 is its simplified writing.

  • 心心xīnheart
  • 亙亙gènpartial moon

The traditional form 恆 pairs 心, a heart, with 亙, a partial moon, which provides the sound; 恒 is a later simplified shape.

Open 恒 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

Open 星 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Sky & Space

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