航天器 (háng tiān qì) — spacecraft, space vehicle

Definition

noun

spacecraftspace vehicle

Measure word · 个

航天器。
Zhè sōu háng tiān qì jiāng dā zài sān míng yǔ háng yuán jìn rù tài kōng.
This spacecraft will carry three astronauts into space.
航天器。
Zhōng guó chéng gōng fā shè le xīn yí dài zài rén háng tiān qì.
China successfully launched a new generation of crewed spacecraft.
航天器。
Zhè zhǒng háng tiān qì zhǔ yào yòng yú kē xué tàn cè hé guǐ dào shí yàn.
This type of spacecraft is mainly used for scientific exploration and orbital experiments.

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.

航天spaceflight

航hángnavigate天tiānsky/space

动宾Verb + object

航 means to navigate, 天 refers to sky or space, and 器 means device, so the word names a vehicle for space travel.

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.

舟亢航

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

亢

亢kàng航háng

Same sound today

航 shows a boat with 舟, and 亢 gives the character its sound.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

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

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.