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两栖 (liǎng qī) — amphibious; able to function in two environments; (figurative) dual-talented; having skills in two different lines of work

Definition

Literally 'living on land and in water'. Used literally for amphibians and amphibious military operations, and figuratively for people skilled in two very different fields (often 两栖型人才).

verb
amphibiousable to function in two environments(figurative) dual-talentedhaving skills in two different lines of work

Examples

  • 。
    Qīng wā shì yì zhǒng diǎn xíng de liǎng qī dòng wù.
    Frogs are a typical amphibious animal.
  • 两栖。
    Zhè cì liǎng qī zuò zhàn yǎn xí fēi cháng chéng gōng.
    This amphibious combat exercise was very successful.
  • 两栖，。
    Tā shì yì míng liǎng qī xíng rén cái, jì jīng tōng jì shù yòu shàn cháng guǎn lǐ.
    He is a dual-talented person who is both proficient in technology and good at management.

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.

两liǎngtwo
栖qīlive

两 means two and 栖 means live, so it describes living in two environments or fields.

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 兩; 两 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 兩 is described as combining 一 and 㒳. The simplified 两 is a later abbreviation.

Open 两 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
西
西xī栖⁰qī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

栖 is built from 木 (tree) and 西; 木 relates to the meaning, and 西 gives the sound.

Open 栖 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Biology

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