显微镜 (xiǎn wēi jìng) — microscope | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

microscope

Measure word · 台

Examples

显微镜，。
Wǒ mǎi le yì tái xiǎn wēi jìng, yòng lái guān chá zhí wù xì bāo.
I bought a microscope to observe plant cells.
显微镜？
Zhè tái xiǎn wēi jìng de fàng dà bèi shù shì duō shǎo?
What is the magnification of this microscope?
，显微镜。
Zài shēng wù kè shàng, wǒ men dì yī cì yòng xiǎn wēi jìng.
In biology class, we used a microscope for the first time.

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.

显微reveal minute things

显xiǎnshow微wēitiny

动宾Verb + object

镜jìnglens

显微 means to reveal tiny things, and 镜 is a lens or instrument, so the word names a device for viewing minute objects.

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 顯; 显 is its simplified writing.

日日rìsun
絲絲sīsilk
頁頁yèperson's head

For 显, the traditional form 顯 is made of 日 (sun), 絲 (silk), and 頁 (person's head).

Open 显 →

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

𡵂攵微

𡵂美měi
攵攴pūhand with tool

The old form showed 𡵂 (a variant of 美, a person with long hair) and 攵 (a hand with a tool) splitting or combing hairs, hence minute; 微 later added 彳 to emphasize action.

Open 微 →

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.

Open 镜 →