火星 (Huǒ xīng) — Mars (the planet) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Mars (the planet)

Measure word · 颗

Examples

火星。
Rén lèi duì Huǒ xīng de liǎo jiě yuè lái yuè duō.
Human understanding of Mars is growing.
火星。
Huǒ xīng Shì yì kē hóng sè xíng xīng.
Mars is a red planet.
火星。
Kē xué jiā zài Huǒ xīng shàng fā xiàn le shuǐ de hén jì.
Scientists have found traces of water on Mars.

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.

火 means fire and 星 means star; together they name Mars, the red planet.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

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

晶晶jīngtwinkling stars
生生shēng

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

Appears in

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