游戏机 (yóu xì jī) — gaming console, video game machine, arcade mach…

Definition

noun

gaming consolevideo game machinearcade machine

Measure word · 台

Examples

游戏机。
Tā mǎi le yì tái xīn yóu xì jī.
He bought a new gaming console.
游戏机。
Xiàn zài hěn duō hái zi dōu xǐ huan wán yóu xì jī.
Nowadays many children like playing video games.
游戏机。
Zhè tái yóu xì jī shì wǒ xiǎo shí hou zuì xǐ huan de.
This gaming console was my favorite when I was little.

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.

游戏games

游yóuplay戏xìgame

联合Coordinate

机jīmachine

游戏 means games or play, and 机 means machine, so 游戏机 is a machine for playing games.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

斿

斿yóu游yóu

Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →

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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

䖒戈戲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

戈戈gēhalberd

Sound part声符shēngfú

䖒

䖒䖒戲xì

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

In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木几机

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree; wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

几jǐ机jī

Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →

Appears in