电瓶车 (diàn píng chē) — electric scooter, e-bike (battery-powered two-wheeler)

Definition

noun
electric scootere-bike (battery-powered two-wheeler)
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 电瓶车。
    Wǒ měi tiān qí diàn píng chē qù shàng bān.
    I ride an electric scooter to work every day.
  • 电瓶车。
    Zhè liàng diàn píng chē de diàn chí xū yào chōng diàn le.
    This e-bike's battery needs to be charged.
  • ，电瓶车。
    Zài zhōng guó, diàn píng chē shì hěn duō rén cháng yòng de jiāo tōng gōng jù.
    In China, e-bikes are a common means of transportation for many people.

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.

电瓶battery
电diànelectricity瓶píngbottle
偏正Modifier + head
车chēvehicle

电瓶 names the battery, and 车 gives a vehicle, yielding a battery-powered two-wheeler.

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 →

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
瓦瓦wǎearthenware
Sound part声符shēngfú
并
并bìng瓶píng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瓶 uses 瓦 to show an earthenware vessel and 并 for the sound. The original vessel had a long slender neck and narrow mouth.

Open 瓶 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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