极光 (jí guāng) — aurora; polar lights | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

aurorapolar lights

Examples

极光。
Wǒ zài běi jí kàn dào le měi lì de jí guāng.
I saw a beautiful aurora at the North Pole.
极光，。
jí guāng Shì yì zhǒng zì rán xiàn xiàng, tōng cháng zài jí dì chū xiàn.
Aurora is a natural phenomenon that usually appears in polar regions.
极光。
Kē xué jiā men zhèng zài yán jiū jí guāng de xíng chéng yuán yīn.
Scientists are studying the causes of aurora formation.

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.

「极」 points to the poles and 「光」 names light, giving polar light.

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.

木及极

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree, wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

及jí极jí

Same sound today

极 pairs 木 (tree, wood) with 及, which provides the sound.

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

火火huǒfire
卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Appears in

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