电报局 (diàn bào jú) — telegraph office

Definition

noun
telegraph office
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 电报局。
    Wǒ qù diàn bào jú fā le yì fēng diàn bào.
    I went to the telegraph office to send a telegram.
  • 电报局。
    diàn bào jú Xiàn zài hěn shǎo jiàn le.
    Telegraph offices are rarely seen nowadays.
  • 电报局。
    Tā yé ye yǐ qián zài diàn bào jú gōng zuò.
    His grandfather used to work at a telegraph office.

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.

电报telegraph
电diànelectric报bàodispatch
偏正Modifier + head
局júoffice

Telegraph describes the kind of office, so it denotes a place for sending telegrams.

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →

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