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渡船 (dù chuán) — ferryboat; ferry

Definition

noun
ferryboatferry
Measure word · 艘

Examples

  • 渡船。
    Wǒ men zuò dù chuán guò hé.
    We take the ferry to cross the river.
  • 渡船。
    Zhè tiáo dù chuán néng zǎi yì bǎi rén.
    This ferry can carry a hundred people.
  • 渡船。
    Měi tiān zǎo chén dōu yǒu yī bān dù chuán cóng mǎ tou chū fā.
    Every morning a ferry departs from the dock.

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.

渡dùcross by boat
船chuánboat

“渡” means cross by water and “船” means boat, together a boat used for crossing.

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
度
度dù渡dù
Same sound today

渡 has 氵, water, beside 度, which gives the sound.

Open 渡 →

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
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕣
㕣㕣船
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

Open 船 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

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