铁路线 (tiě lù xiàn) — railway line

Definition

noun
railway line
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 铁路线。
    Zhè tiáo tiě lù xiàn lián jiē le liǎng gè dà chéng shì.
    This railway line connects two big cities.
  • 铁路线。
    Xīn de tiě lù xiàn zhèng zài xiū jiàn zhōng.
    The new railway line is under construction.
  • 铁路线。
    Zhè tiáo tiě lù xiàn quán cháng chāo guò yì qiān gōng lǐ.
    This railway line is over a thousand kilometers long.

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.

铁路railway
铁tiěiron路lùroad
偏正Modifier + head
线xiànline

铁路 means an iron road, 线 means a line, together a railway line.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢧤
𢧤𢧤鐵tiě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

Open 铁 →

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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