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消防队 (xiāo fáng duì) — fire brigade, fire department

Definition

noun
fire brigadefire department

Examples

  • 消防队。
    xiāo fáng duì Jiē dào bào jǐng hòu lì kè chū fā.
    The fire brigade set off immediately after receiving the alarm.
  • 消防队。
    Chéng shì de xiāo fáng duì pèi bèi le xiān jìn de shè bèi.
    The city's fire brigade is equipped with advanced equipment.
  • 消防队。
    xiāo fáng duì Měi nián dōu huì jìn xíng duō cì yǎn xí.
    The fire brigade conducts multiple drills every year.

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.

消防fire protection
消xiāoextinguish防fángprevent
联合Coordinate
队duìteam

“消防” combines “消” (extinguish) and “防” (prevent), and “队” is a team.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào消xiāo
Same sound today

消 has 氵 (water) beside 肖. The water part connects to putting out or making something vanish, and 肖 gives the sound.

Open 消 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

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 →
Appears in
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