晴雨表 (qíng yǔ biǎo) — barometer (for measuring atmospheric pressure);…

Definition

noun

barometer (for measuring atmospheric pressure)barometer (figurative indicator of trends or changes)

Measure word · 个

晴雨表。
Qì xiàng xué jiā yòng qíng yǔ biǎo lái yù cè tiān qì.
Meteorologists use a barometer to predict the weather.
晴雨表。
Gǔ shì shì jīng jì biàn huà de qíng yǔ biǎo.
The stock market is a barometer of economic changes.
晴雨表。
Mín diào shì gōng zhòng qíng xù de kě kào qíng yǔ biǎo.
Polls are a reliable barometer of public sentiment.

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.

晴雨sunny and rainy

联合Side by side

晴 and 雨 name the weather states, and 表 is the gauge recording them.

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.

日青晴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

Same sound today

晴 puts 日, the sun, beside 青, which gives its sound.

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

The shape 雨 is an old picture of a cloud with rain drops falling from it; the top line was added later.

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

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.