机械人 (jī xiè rén) — robot | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

robot

Measure word · 个

Examples

机械人。
Zhè jiā gōng chǎng shǐ yòng le hěn duō jī xiè rén.
This factory uses many robots.
机械人。
Xiàn zài de jī xiè rén kě yǐ bāng zhù rén gōng zuò.
Modern robots can help people work.
机械人。
Wǒ xiǎo shí hou mèng xiǎng zào yí gè jī xiè rén.
When I was a child, I dreamed of building a robot.

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.

机械machinery

机jīmachine械xièinstrument

联合Coordinate

机械 means machinery and 人 means person, so a mechanical person is a robot.

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木戒械

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

戒

戒jiè械xiè

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

械 pairs 木, meaning wood, with 戒 for sound. The early sense was handcuffs or shackles, later extended to devices.

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

Technology & Engineering

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