立方体 (lì fāng tǐ) — cube | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

cube

Measure word · 个

Examples

立方体。
Zhè ge lì fāng tǐ de tǐ jī shì bā lì fāng mǐ.
The volume of this cube is eight cubic meters.
立方体。
Hái zi huà le yí gè sān wéi de lì fāng tǐ.
The child drew a three-dimensional cube.
立方体。
lì fāng tǐ Yǒu liù gè xiāng tóng de miàn.
A cube has six identical faces.

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.

立方cube

立lìcubic方fāngsquare

偏正Modifier + head

立方 describes a square solid and 体 names a body, giving cube.

Characters in this word

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

骨豊體

Meaning part形符xíngfú

骨骨gǔbone

Sound part声符shēngfú

豊

豊lǐ體tǐ

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

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Appears in

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