杂志社 (zá zhì shè) — magazine publisher (company or organization)

Definition

noun

magazine publisher (company or organization)

Measure word · 家

Examples

杂志社。
Tā zài yì jiā zhù míng de zá zhì shè gōng zuò.
He works at a famous magazine publisher.
杂志社。
Zhè jiā zá zhì shè chū bǎn le hěn duō shí shàng zá zhì.
This magazine publisher publishes many fashion magazines.
杂志社。
Wǒ péng you zài yì jiā zá zhì shè dāng biān jí.
My friend works as an editor at a magazine publisher.

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.

杂志magazine

杂zámiscellaneous志zhìrecords

偏正Modifier + head

社shèorganization

杂志 'magazine' plus 社 'company' names a magazine publishing organization.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雜; 杂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衣衣yī

Sound part声符shēngfú

集

集jí雜zá

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雜 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 集 as a sound part, originally referring to mixed colours, perhaps in dyed clothes; the simplified 杂 is a later shorthand.

Open 杂 →

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

心心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

之

之zhī志zhì

Same sound today

志 has 心, the heart, below and a simplified top from 之 for sound.

Open 志 →

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