专用车 (zhuān yòng chē) — special-purpose vehicle (e.g., ambulance, fire engine, tow truck)

Definition

noun
special-purpose vehicle (e.g., ambulance, fire engine, tow truck)
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 专用车。
    Zhè liàng zhuān yòng chē shì yòng yú qīng jié jiē dào de.
    This special-purpose vehicle is used for cleaning streets.
  • 专用车。
    Kāi zhuān yòng chē xū yào zhuān mén de jià shǐ zī gé.
    Driving a special-purpose vehicle requires a special driving license.
  • 专用车。
    Gōng sī zhuān mén shēng chǎn gè zhǒng zhuān yòng chē.
    The company specializes in producing various special-purpose vehicles.

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.

专用
专zhuānspecial用yònguse
偏正Modifier + head
车chēvehicle

专用 (special use) and 车 (vehicle) combine to mean a vehicle for a special purpose.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 專; 专 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 專 shows 又, a hand, turning 叀, a spindle; this came to mean gathering several things into one.

Open 专 →

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

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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