词条 (cí tiáo) — dictionary entry; lexical item

Definition

noun
dictionary entrylexical item
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 词条。
    Zhè ge cí tiáo de jiě shì hěn qīng chǔ.
    The explanation of this dictionary entry is very clear.
  • 词条。
    Cí diǎn lǐ yǒu hěn duō cí tiáo.
    There are many entries in the dictionary.
  • 词条。
    Wǒ xū yào chá yí xià zhè ge cí tiáo de yì si.
    I need to look up the meaning of this entry.

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.

词cíword
条tiáoitem

词 indicates the word content, and 条 indicates an item, forming a dictionary entry.

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 詞; 词 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī詞cí(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詞 uses 言, meaning speech, and 司 to show how it was pronounced; the simplified 词 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 词 →

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

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