航空母舰 (háng kōng mǔ jiàn) — aircraft carrier | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

aircraft carrier

Measure word · 艘

Examples

航空母舰航空母舰。
Měi guó yǒu yì háng kōng mǔ jiàn hěn dà de háng kōng mǔ jiàn.
The United States has a very large aircraft carrier.
航空母舰航空母舰。
Zhè háng kōng mǔ jiàn háng kōng mǔ jiàn tíng zài hǎi gǎng lǐ.
This aircraft carrier is docked in the harbor.
航空母舰。
háng kōng mǔ jiàn Kě yǐ yùn zài jǐ shí jià fēi jī.
An aircraft carrier can carry dozens of airplanes.

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.

航空aviation

航hángnavigate空kōngsky

动宾Verb + object

母舰mothership

母mǔmother舰jiànwarship

偏正Modifier + head

航 and 空 suggest sky navigation, and 母舰 is a mother ship, giving aircraft carrier.

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

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

穴工空

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xuécave, hole

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng空kōng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 艦; 舰 is its simplified writing.

舟監艦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān艦⁰jiàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 艦 pairs 舟 (boat) with 監 to give the sound; the simplified 舰 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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