通缉令 (tōng jī lìng) — arrest warrant; wanted notice

Definition

noun
arrest warrantwanted notice
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 通缉令。
    Jǐng chá fā bù le tōng jī lìng.
    The police issued an arrest warrant.
  • 通缉令。
    tōng jī lìng Shàng tiē zhe tā de zhào piàn.
    His photo is on the wanted notice.
  • 通缉令,。
    Gēn jù tōng jī lìng, tā zài jī chǎng bèi zhuā zhù le.
    According to the arrest warrant, he was caught at the airport.

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.

通缉notify and pursue
通tōngnotify缉jīpursue
联合Coordinate

通缉 combines 通 (notify) and 缉 (pursue); 令 is an order, so it is an arrest order.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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 緝; 缉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
咠
咠qì緝jī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緝 pairs 糸 (silk) with 咠 as a sound part; the simplified 缉 is a later shorthand.

Open 缉 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 亼亼jí
  • 卩卩jié

In 令, the upper 亼 is an open mouth and the lower 卩 is a kneeling person, together showing someone giving orders.

Open 令 →
Appears in

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