乐队 (yuè duì) — band, (musical) group

Definition

乐队 is a compound noun: 乐 ('music') + 队 ('team'), meaning a musical group or band. The measure word is 支 (same as for long thin objects or teams), not 条.

noun
band(musical) group
Measure word · 支

Examples

  • 乐队。
    Zhè zhī yuè duì zài yīn yuè jié shàng yǐn qǐ hōng dòng.
    This band caused a sensation at the music festival.
  • 乐队。
    yuè duì De chéng yuán lái zì bù tóng guó jiā.
    The band members come from different countries.
  • 。
    Tā jiā rù le yì zhī yáo gǔn yuè duì.
    He joined a rock band.

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.

乐lèmusic
队duìteam

乐 is music, and 队 is a group or team.

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 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.

Open 乐 →

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 隊; 队 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒸
㒸㒸隊duì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隊 has 阜 as the meaning part and 㒸 as the sound part.

Open 队 →
Appears in
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