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知名度 (zhī míng dù) — reputation, fame, popularity

Definition

知名度 is the degree of fame or public recognition someone or something has — not fame itself, but how widely known. Modified by 高/低, not 很大.

noun
reputationfamepopularity

Examples

  • 知名度。
    Tā de zhī míng dù zài guó jì shàng fēi cháng gāo.
    His international reputation is very high.
  • 知名度。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de zhī míng dù zhèng zài kuài sù tí shēng.
    This company's popularity is rapidly increasing.
  • ，知名度。
    Zuò wéi yì míng kē xué jiā, tā yōng yǒu hěn gāo de zhī míng dù.
    As a scientist, she has a very high reputation.

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.

知名known
知zhīknow名míngname
动宾Verb + object
度dùdegree

Known and degree combine to express the degree of fame.

Characters in this word

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
石
石shí度dù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Open 度 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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