特派 (tè pài) — specially appointed (attributive only)

Definition

Modifiers a noun to mean 'specially appointed or assigned' (e.g. 特派记者 'special correspondent'). Attributive only — never used as a predicate.

adjective

specially appointed (attributive only)

特派。
Tā shì tè pài jì zhě.
He is a specially appointed correspondent.
特派。
Zhè cì tè pài rèn wu fēi cháng zhòng yào.
This specially appointed mission is very important.
。
Gōng sī pài le yí wèi tè pài yuán qù chǔ lǐ wèn tí.
The company sent a specially appointed commissioner to handle the issue.

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.

特tèspecially

特 (specially) adds specialness to 派 (appoint), giving specially appointed.

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.

牛寺特

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

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

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

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; river

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠂢

𠂢𠂢派pài

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

派 is built from 水 (water/river) and 𠂢. 𠂢 gives the sound, and 水 was added later to tell the character apart from the older form.