热气球 (rè qì qiú) — hot-air balloon | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

hot-air balloon

Measure word · 个

Examples

热气球。
Wǒ men zuò rè qì qiú fēi shàng le tiān kōng.
We flew up into the sky in a hot-air balloon.
热气球，。
Nà ge rè qì qiú shì hóng sè de, fēi cháng hǎo kàn.
That hot-air balloon is red and very beautiful.
热气球，。
Tā dì yī cì kàn dào rè qì qiú, xīng fèn dé tiào le qǐ lái.
He saw a hot-air balloon for the first time and jumped with excitement.

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.

气球balloon

气qìair球qiúball

偏正Modifier + head

热 hot and 气球 balloon combine to mean a hot-air balloon.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 熱; 热 is its simplified writing.

埶灬熱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

灬Written in full as火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

埶

埶yì熱rè

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

The traditional form 熱 pairs 埶 with 火 (written as 灬) to show heat, while 埶 gives a sound.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

求

求qiú球qiú

Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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