有线电话 (yǒu xiàn diàn huà) — landline telephone; wired telephone

Definition

A landline phone connected by physical wires, contrasted with mobile phones (手机) or cordless phones. The 有线 prefix emphasizes the wired, fixed-line nature of the device.

noun
landline telephonewired telephone
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • ，有线电话。
    Suī rán xiàn zài dōu yòng shǒu jī, dàn hěn duō bàn gōng shì hái bǎo liú zhe yǒu xiàn diàn huà.
    Although everyone uses mobile phones now, many offices still keep landline phones.
  • ，有线电话。
    Shān qū xìn hào bù hǎo, zhǐ yǒu kào yǒu xiàn diàn huà lián xì.
    The signal is poor in the mountains, so we can only communicate via wired telephone.
  • 有线电话，。
    Wǒ jiā lǐ hái yǒu yí bù yǒu xiàn diàn huà, píng shí hěn shǎo yòng le.
    My home still has a landline phone, but I rarely use it anymore.

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.

有线with wire
有yǒuhave线xiànwire
动宾Verb + object
电话telephone
电diànelectric话huàspeech
偏正Modifier + head

有线 (with wire) specifies 电话 (electric speech), giving a wired telephone.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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 →

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