相册 (xiàng cè) — photo album | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A physical book (or digital folder) that holds 照片 — distinct from 画册, which contains paintings or printed artwork rather than personal photos.

noun

photo album

Measure word · 本

，。
Wǒ yǒu yì běn xiàng cè, lǐ miàn yǒu hěn duō zhào piàn.
I have a photo album with many photos inside.
相册。
Tā bǎ xiàng cè fàng zài zhuō zi shàng gěi dà jiā kàn.
She put the photo album on the table for everyone to see.
相册。
Zhè ge diàn zǐ xiàng cè kě yǐ shàng chuán hěn duō zhào piàn.
This digital photo album can upload many photos.

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.

相 refers to photos, and 册 to a bound collection, together making a photo album.

Characters in this word

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

木目相

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 冊; 册 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 冊 shows bamboo slips strung together, the pages of a book; the simplified 册 is a later shorthand.

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