铜币 (tóng bì) — copper coin

Definition

noun
copper coin
Measure word · 枚

Examples

  • 铜币。
    Tā zài gǔ wán shì chǎng mǎi le yì méi tóng bì.
    He bought a copper coin at the antique market.
  • 铜币。
    Zhè méi tóng bì shì qīng cháo shí qī de.
    This copper coin is from the Qing Dynasty.
  • 铜币。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ zhǎn chū le hěn duō gǔ dài tóng bì.
    The museum displayed many ancient copper coins.

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.

铜tóngcopper
币bìcoin

铜 gives the material and 币 gives the coin, so the word means a coin made of copper.

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 銅; 铜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng銅tóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 銅 pairs 金 (metal) with 同 as the sound part; the simplified 铜 is a shorthand.

Open 铜 →

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 幣; 币 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
敝
敝bì幣bì
Same sound today

The traditional form 幣 combines 敝 (which gives the sound) and 巾 (cloth), and meant silk given as a gift or sacrifice; the simplified 币 is a shorthand.

Open 币 →

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