航海图 (háng hǎi tú) — nautical chart; marine chart

Definition

noun
nautical chartmarine chart
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 航海图。
    Chuán zhǎng zhèng zài yán jiū zhè zhāng háng hǎi tú.
    The captain is studying this nautical chart.
  • 航海图。
    Gòu mǎi háng hǎi tú shí yào zhù yì gēng xīn rì qī.
    When buying a marine chart, pay attention to the update date.
  • 航海图航海图。
    Diàn zǐ háng hǎi tú bǐ zhǐ zhì háng hǎi tú gèng fāng biàn.
    Electronic nautical charts are more convenient than paper ones.

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.

航海sailing the sea
航hángsail海hǎisea
动宾Verb + object
图túchart

航海 means sailing the 海, and 图 is the chart for that.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舟舟zhōuboat
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.

Open 航 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

  • 囗囗wéiwalled city
  • 啚啚bǐ

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

Open 图 →

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