珍品 (zhēn pǐn) — precious item, treasure (e.g., art, antiques);…

Definition

noun

precious itemtreasure (e.g., art, antiques)delicacygourmet food

Measure word · 件

珍品。
Zhè fú huà shì bó wù guǎn de zhēn pǐn.
This painting is a treasure of the museum.
珍品。
Zhè zhǒng jiǔ shì nán dé de zhēn pǐn.
This kind of wine is a rare delicacy.
珍品。
Tā shōu cáng le hěn duō gǔ dài zhēn pǐn.
He collects many ancient treasures.

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.

珍 means precious or rare, and 品 means item, so together they describe a precious item or treasure.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

㐱

㐱㐱珍

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

珍 pairs 玉, a jade or gem, with 㐱, which gives the sound; the 玉 part fits its early meaning of a rich gemstone.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

品 repeats the same simple shape three times, representing various objects.

Appears in