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无线电话 (wú xiàn diàn huà) — wireless phone; radiotelephone

Definition

noun
wireless phoneradiotelephone
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • 无线电话。
    Tā mǎi le yí bù xīn de wú xiàn diàn huà.
    He bought a new wireless phone.
  • ，无线电话。
    Zài piān yuǎn dì qū, wú xiàn diàn huà bǐ shǒu jī gèng kě kào.
    In remote areas, wireless phones are more reliable than cell phones.
  • 无线电话。
    Zǎo qī de wú xiàn diàn huà tǐ jī hěn dà.
    Early wireless phones were very bulky.

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.

无线wireless
无wúwithout线xiànwire
动宾Verb + object
电话telephone
电diànelectric话huàcall
偏正Modifier + head

“无线” means without wires, and “电话” names the telephone; together they describe a phone that works without a wire connection.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →
Appears in
Phones & Telecom

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