木星 (Mù xīng) — Jupiter (the planet) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Jupiter (the planet)

Measure word · 颗

Examples

木星。
Mù xīng Shì tài yáng xì zuì dà de xíng xīng.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
木星。
Mù xīng Bǐ dì qiú dà hěn duō bèi.
Jupiter is many times larger than Earth.
木星。
Mù xīng Yǒu jǐ shí kē wèi xīng.
Jupiter has dozens of moons.

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.

木 “wood” names the element associated with this 星 “star/planet”, Jupiter.

Characters in this word

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

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

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.

Appears in

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