胶带 (jiāo dài) — elec. (rubber/adhesive) tape | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

胶带 (jiāodài) is adhesive tape — the sticky roll used to stick things together. It is a physical tape, unlike 磁带 ('magnetic tape' for recording) and not a liquid glue like 胶水.

noun

elec. (rubber/adhesive) tape

Measure word · 卷

Easily confused

交代jiāo dàisound-aliketo hand over (duties, work) to a successor

Examples

胶带。
Wǒ qù chāo shì mǎi le yí juàn jiāo dài.
I went to the supermarket and bought a roll of tape.
胶带。
Qǐng yòng jiāo dài bǎ huà tiē zài qiáng shàng.
Please use tape to stick the picture on the wall.
胶带，。
jiāo dài Yòng wán le, wǒ xū yào zài mǎi yì xiē.
The tape is used up; I need to buy some more.

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.

胶 means glue or adhesive and 带 means tape, naming adhesive tape.

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 膠; 胶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat; flesh

Sound part声符shēngfú

翏

翏liù膠jiāo

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

The traditional form 膠 pairs ⺼ (meat; flesh) with 翏, which gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Miscellaneous Objects

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