绿卡 (lǜ kǎ) — green card (U.S. Permanent Residence Card)

Definition

noun

green card (U.S. Permanent Residence Card)

Measure word · 张

绿卡。
Tā ná dào le měi guó lǜ kǎ.
He got the U.S. green card.
绿卡。
Shēn qǐng lǜ kǎ xū yào hěn duō cái liào hé nài xīn.
Applying for a green card requires many documents and patience.
绿卡，。
Yǒu le lǜ kǎ, tā kě yǐ zài měi guó zì yóu gōng zuò.
With a green card, he can work freely in the U.S.

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.

绿 means green and 卡 means card, naming the U.S. residence permit by its color.

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 綠; 绿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

彔

彔lù綠lù

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

The traditional form 綠 uses 糸 to show silk and 彔 for sound; the simplified 绿 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original pieces.

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

卡 is made from 上 (up) and 下 (down), with their horizontal lines fused, showing something squeezed between above and below.

Appears in