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能见度 (néng jiàn dù) — visibility

Definition

noun
visibility

Examples

  • 能见度。
    Jīn tiān de néng jiàn dù hěn hǎo.
    Today's visibility is good.
  • ，能见度。
    Yīn wèi dà wù, néng jiàn dù hěn dī.
    Because of heavy fog, visibility is very low.
  • 能见度。
    Fēi jī néng fǒu qǐ fēi yào kàn néng jiàn dù.
    Whether the plane can take off depends on visibility.

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.

能见able to see
能néngable见jiànsee
偏正Modifier + head
度dùdegree

能见 suggests being able to see and 度 suggests degree, together naming visibility.

Characters in this word

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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
Weather

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