皇帝 (huáng dì) — emperor | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Title of the male ruler of an empire — pairs with 皇后 (empress, his wife) and is housed in the 皇宫. 皇上 is a respectful way to address him directly.

noun

emperor

Measure word · 个

皇帝。
Zhè ge huáng dì shì míng cháo kāi guó de.
This emperor founded the Ming Dynasty.
，皇帝。
Zuó tiān cān guān gù gōng shí, wǒ kàn dào le huáng dì yòng guò de lóng yǐ.
When visiting the Forbidden City yesterday, I saw the dragon throne used by the emperor.
皇帝。
Zhè wèi huáng dì zài wèi qī jiān guó jiā fēi cháng fán róng.
The country was very prosperous during this emperor's reign.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

帝dìsovereign

皇 and 帝 both denote a sovereign ruler, so together they name the emperor.

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

𤼽𤼽𤼽

Sound part声符shēngfú

王

王wáng皇huáng

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

The part 𤼽 originally drew a single peacock feather; 王 was later added to give the sound.

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

丄丄shàngup; above

Sound part声符shēngfú

朿

朿cì帝dì

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

帝 originally drew a flower calyx, the part joining blossom to stem. The 丄 and 朿 breakdown is mistaken.

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