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货船 (huò chuán) — freighter, cargo ship

Definition

noun
freightercargo ship
Measure word · 艘

Examples

  • 货船。
    Zhè sōu huò chuán yào kāi dào shàng hǎi.
    This freighter is going to Shanghai.
  • 货船。
    Gǎng kǒu yǒu hěn duō huò chuán.
    The port has many cargo ships.
  • 货船。
    Zhè tiáo huò chuán néng zhuāng hěn duō dōng xī.
    This cargo ship can carry a lot of things.

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.

货huòcargo/goods
船chuánship

“货” says what is carried, and “船” is the vessel.

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 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell, money
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà貨huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Open 货 →

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

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

Open 船 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

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