车铃 (chē líng) — bell on a vehicle (especially a bicycle)

Definition

noun
bell on a vehicle (especially a bicycle)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 车铃，。
    Zì xíng chē shàng de chē líng xiǎng le, tí xǐng lù rén ràng kāi.
    The bell on the bicycle rang, warning pedestrians to move aside.
  • 车铃。
    Tā qí dào lù kǒu shí àn le yí xià chē líng.
    He pressed the bell when he reached the intersection.
  • 车铃。
    Qián miàn chuán lái yí zhèn qīng cuì de chē líng shēng.
    A clear bell sound came from up ahead.

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.

车chēvehicle
铃língbell

“车” names a vehicle and “铃” names a bell, so the word means a bell used on a vehicle.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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 鈴; 铃 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng鈴líng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鈴 pairs 金 (metal) with 令 as a sound part; the simplified 铃 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 铃 →

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