武装部队 (wǔ zhuāng bù duì) — armed forces

Definition

noun
armed forces

Examples

  • 武装部队。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de wǔ zhuāng bù duì fēi cháng qiáng dà.
    The armed forces of this country are very powerful.
  • 武装部队。
    wǔ zhuāng bù duì Fù zé bǎo hù guó jiā ān quán.
    The armed forces are responsible for protecting national security.
  • 武装部队。
    Tā zài wǔ zhuāng bù duì fú yì le shí nián.
    He served in the armed forces for ten years.

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.

武装armed
武wǔweapon装zhuāngequip
联合Side by side
部队troops
部bùunit队duìtroop
联合Side by side

武装 means armed and 部队 means troops, so the whole says troops that are armed.

Characters in this word

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

武 puts 戈 (dagger-axe) above 止 (foot/to walk), showing an army going on an expedition.

Open 武 →

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →

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
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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 隊; 队 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒸
㒸㒸隊duì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隊 has 阜 as the meaning part and 㒸 as the sound part.

Open 队 →

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