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警察局 (jǐng chá jú) — police station; police bureau

Definition

noun
police stationpolice bureau
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 警察局。
    Zuó tiān wǒ qù le yí tàng jǐng chá jú.
    Yesterday I went to the police station.
  • 警察局。
    Nà ge jǐng chá jú zài shì zhōng xīn.
    That police station is in the city center.
  • 警察局。
    Tā bèi dài dào jǐng chá jú wèn huà.
    He was taken to the police station for questioning.

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.

警察police
警jǐngguard/police察cháinspect
联合Coordinate
局júoffice

警 and 察 together mean police, and 局 is an office, so it is a police office.

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
言言yánspoken language, speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
敬
敬jìng警
Same sound today

警 places 言 (speech) below 敬; 敬 gives the sound.

Open 警 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
祭
祭jì察chá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 察 combines 宀, a roof, with 祭 as the sound part.

Open 察 →

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →
Appears in
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