集装箱 (jí zhuāng xiāng) — container (for shipping) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A standardized shipping container used to transport goods by ship, rail, or truck. Unlike 容器 (any receptacle) or 笼子 (a cage/basket), 集装箱 specifically refers to these large metal cargo boxes.

noun

container (for shipping)

Measure word · 个

Examples

集装箱。
Zhè ge jí zhuāng xiāng néng zhuāng hěn duō huò wù.
This container can hold a lot of cargo.
集装箱。
Mǎ tou shàng duī mǎn le jí zhuāng xiāng.
The docks are piled with containers.
集装箱。
Tā men yòng jí zhuāng xiāng yùn shū huò wù dào shì jiè gè dì.
They use containers to transport goods all over the world.

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.

集装collect-load

集jícollect装zhuāngload

联合Coordinate

集 collect and 装 load together form a 箱 box for consolidated shipping.

Characters in this word

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

隹木集

隹隹zhuībird
木木mùtree

集 pairs 隹 (bird) with 木 (tree), showing birds on a tree, hence a gathering.

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

壯衣裝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衣衣yīclothes

Sound part声符shēngfú

壯

壯zhuàng裝zhuāng

Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

𥫗相箱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

相

相xiāng箱xiāng

Same sound today

箱 combines 竹, showing bamboo, with 相 as a sound part, to write a bamboo box or case.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Miscellaneous Objects

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