造船 (zào chuán) — to build ships | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

造船 literally 'make + ship' — the standard term for shipbuilding (industry, shipyards, naval vessels). Use 造 for 'build/make' generally; 造船 is the fixed compound for building ships and boats.

verb

to build ships

Examples

造船。
Zhè jiā gōng sī zhuān mén zào chuán.
This company specializes in shipbuilding.
。
Tā men zào le sān sōu xīn chuán.
They built three new ships.
。
Zhè ge chuán chǎng zào guò hěn duō dà chuán.
This shipyard has built many large ships.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

造 (build) and 船 (ship) combine to mean the action of building ships.

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

辵辵chuòto walk

Sound part声符shēngfú

屮

屮chè造zào

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

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.

Appears in

Industry & Manufacturing Boats & Water Travel

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