星条旗 (xīng tiáo qí) — Stars and Stripes (the flag of the United State…

Definition

noun

Stars and Stripes (the flag of the United States)

Measure word · 面

Examples

星条旗。
Měi guó de guó qí shì xīng tiáo qí.
The national flag of the United States is the Stars and Stripes.
星条旗。
xīng tiáo qí Zài měi guó de hěn duō dì fāng dōu néng kàn dào.
The Stars and Stripes can be seen in many places in the United States.
星条旗。
Tā mǎi le yí gè xīng tiáo qí de huī zhāng.
He bought a badge with the Stars and Stripes.

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.

星条stars and stripes

星xīngstar条tiáostripe

联合Coordinate

旗qíflag

'星' (stars) + '条' (stripes) + '旗' (flag) = flag with stars and stripes.

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.

晶晶jīngtwinkling stars
生生shēng

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

Open 星 →

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mù

Sound part声符shēngfú

攸

攸yōu條tiáo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

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

㫃㫃㫃flag

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí旗qí

Same sound today

旗 pairs 㫃, a flag, with 其, which gives the pronunciation qí.

Open 旗 →

Appears in

International & Diplomacy