机器人 (jī qì rén) — robot | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

机器人 is an 'intelligent machine' that can do tasks like a human; the 人 ('person') marks it as more human-like and autonomous than 机器, which is a general 'machine'.

noun

robot

Measure word · 个

Examples

机器人。
Zhè jiā gōng sī shēng chǎn le hěn duō jī qì rén.
This company produces many robots.
机器人。
Wèi lái de jī qì rén huì yuè lái yuè cōng ming.
Future robots will become smarter and smarter.
机器人？
Nǐ jiàn guò huì tiào wǔ de jī qì rén ma?
Have you ever seen a robot that can dance?

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.

机器machine

机jīmachine器qìdevice

联合Coordinate

The 人 is like a 机器, so the word names a machine that behaves as a person.

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.

木几机

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree; wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

几jǐ机jī

Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Appears in

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