放大镜 (fàng dà jìng) — magnifying glass | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

magnifying glass

Measure word · 个

Examples

放大镜。
Yé ye yòng fàng dà jìng kàn bào zhǐ shàng de xiǎo zì.
Grandpa uses a magnifying glass to read the small print in the newspaper.
放大镜，。
Wǒ mǎi le yí gè fàng dà jìng, yòng lái guān chá kūn chóng.
I bought a magnifying glass to observe insects.
放大镜。
Zhè ge fàng dà jìng kě yǐ fàng dà èr shí bèi.
This magnifying glass can magnify twenty times.

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.

放大enlarge

放fàngset大dàbig

补充Verb + complement

放大 means to enlarge and 镜 is a lens, so it is a lens that enlarges.

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.

方攵放

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng放fàng

Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

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 鏡; 镜 is its simplified writing.

金竟鏡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

竟

竟jìng鏡jìng

Same sound today

The traditional form 鏡 puts 金, metal, next to 竟 to give the sound. The simplified 镜 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Miscellaneous Objects

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