钟摆 (zhōng bǎi) — pendulum | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

pendulum

Examples

钟摆。
Lǎo shì guà zhōng de zhōng bǎi zuǒ yòu bǎi dòng.
The pendulum of an old wall clock swings left and right.
钟摆。
Zhè ge zhōng bǎi shì yòng jīn shǔ zuò de.
This pendulum is made of metal.
钟摆。
Zhōng biǎo jiàng zǐ xì tiáo zhěng le zhōng bǎi de cháng dù.
The clockmaker carefully adjusted the length of the pendulum.

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.

"钟" clock and "摆" swing combine to mean a clock's pendulum.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 擺; 摆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

罷

罷bà擺bǎi

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

The traditional form 擺 has 手 (hand) with 罷 giving the sound bà; the simplified 摆 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

Appears in

Physics & Chemistry

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