题词 (tí cí) — (verb) to write an inscription, dedication, or foreword; (noun) inscription, dedication, foreword

Definition

题词 means to write a short inscription, dedication, or congratulatory message — usually by request, for a book, event, or commemorative occasion.

verb
to write an inscriptiondedicationor foreword
noun
inscriptiondedicationforeword

Examples

  • 。
    Tā wèi zhè běn shū tí le cí.
    He wrote an inscription for this book.
  • 题词。
    Zhè běn shū de tí cí shì tā xiě de.
    The inscription of this book was written by him.
  • 题词。
    Tā yìng yāo gěi dà huì tí cí.
    He was invited to write an inscription for the conference.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

题tíwrite/inscribe
词cíwords

题 means to write or inscribe and 词 means words, giving commemorative written words.

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 題; 题 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì題tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 题, the traditional form 題 uses 是 for sound and 頁 for head, and means 'forehead'.

Open 题 →

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 詞; 词 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī詞cí(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詞 uses 言, meaning speech, and 司 to show how it was pronounced; the simplified 词 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 词 →

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