音乐课 (yīn yuè kè) — music class; music lesson

Definition

noun

music classmusic lesson

Measure word · 节

音乐课。
Wǒ měi zhōu èr yǒu yīn yuè kè.
I have music class every Tuesday.
音乐课。
yīn yuè kè Shàng lǎo shī jiào wǒ men chàng gē.
In music class, the teacher teaches us to sing.
音乐课？
Nǐ xǐ huan yīn yuè kè ma?
Do you like music class?

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.

音乐music

联合Coordinate

The 音乐 music and 课 lesson meanings combine to name a class about music.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

音 adds a short stroke that seals the mouth-like part, showing a covered or muffled sound rather than speech.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

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 課; 课 is its simplified writing.

言果課

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánto say

Sound part声符shēngfú

果

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

The traditional form 課 pairs 言 (to say) with 果 as a sound part; the simplified 课 is a shorthand and its right side is not a sound part.

Appears in