轨 (guǐ) — (bound form) rail; track (as in 铁轨); (bound form) orbit; trajectory; course (as in 轨道, 轨迹)
Definition
Bound morpheme meaning 'track' (physical rail, as in 铁轨) or 'orbit/course' (path something follows, as in 轨道, 轨迹, 出轨). It never stands alone — always combine it with another character.
bound form
railtrack (as in 铁轨)orbittrajectorycourse (as in 轨道, 轨迹)
Examples
- 。Rén zào wèi xīng jìn rù yù dìng guǐ dào.The satellite entered its predetermined orbit.
- 。Huǒ chē yán zhe tiě guǐ kuài sù xíng shǐ.The train runs quickly along the railroad track.
- 。Tā de xíng wéi yǐ jīng chū guǐ le.His behavior has gone off the rails / he is having an affair.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 軌; 轨 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jū
Sound part声符shēngfú
九
九jiǔ軌guǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 軌 pairs 車 (cart) with 九 as a sound part; the simplified 轨 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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