指示器 (zhǐ shì qì) — indicator; indicating instrument

Definition

noun

indicatorindicating instrument

Measure word · 个

指示器，。
Qì chē de zhǐ shì qì dēng liàng le, shuō míng fā dòng jī yǒu wèn tí.
The indicator light on the car came on, indicating a problem with the engine.
指示器。
Zhè ge zhǐ shì qì kě yǐ cè liáng wēn dù.
This indicator can measure temperature.
指示器。
Shǒu jī shàng de zhǐ shì qì xiǎn shì diàn liàng hái yǒu bǎi fēn zhī shí.
The indicator on the phone shows the battery is at ten percent.

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.

指示indicate

联合Side by side

器qìinstrument

The 器, an instrument, is named by what it does, 指示, to point out.

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.

扌旨指

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

旨

Same sound today

The left part 扌 is the hand form 手. The right part 旨 gives the sound.

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

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.