订书机 (dìng shū jī) — stapler | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

stapler

Measure word · 台

Examples

订书机。
Qǐng bāng wǒ ná yí xià dìng shū jī.
Please hand me the stapler.
订书机。
Wǒ yòng dìng shū jī bǎ wén jiàn dìng qǐ lái le.
I stapled the documents together.
订书机，。
Zhè ge dìng shū jī huài le, xū yào huàn yí gè xīn de.
This stapler is broken; I need to replace it with a new one.

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.

订书bind books

订dìngbind书shūbook

动宾Verb + object

机jīmachine

A machine for binding or stapling books: 订书 names the action and 机 names the device.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 訂; 订 is its simplified writing.

言丁訂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng訂dìng

Same sound today

The traditional form 訂 combines 言, related to speech, with 丁, which gives the sound; the simplified 订 is a later shorthand.

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě書shū

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

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

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

木几机

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree; wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

几jǐ机jī

Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Appears in

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