主线 (zhǔ xiàn) — main storyline; main thread (of a narrative, pr…

Definition

noun

main storylinemain thread (of a narrative, project, etc.)

Measure word · 条

主线。
Zhè bù xiǎo shuō de zhǔ xiàn shì ài qíng yǔ mào xiǎn.
The main thread of this novel is love and adventure.
主线，。
Xiàng mù yǒu liǎng tiáo zhǔ xiàn, yì tiáo jì shù yì tiáo guǎn lǐ.
The project has two main lines: one technical and one managerial.
主线，。
Gù shi zhǔ xiàn fēi cháng qīng xī, dú zhě hěn róng yì gēn shàng.
The storyline is very clear; readers can easily follow it.

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.

The 主 sense of main with 线 gives the central thread of a story.

Characters in this word

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

糹泉線

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

泉

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

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

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