书桌 (shū zhuō) — desk | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

desk

Measure word · 张

书桌。
Wǒ bǎ shū dōu fàng zài shū zhuō shàng.
I put all the books on the desk.
书桌。
Tā měi tiān zài shū zhuō qián xué xí sān gè xiǎo shí.
He studies at his desk for three hours every day.
书桌。
Zhè zhāng shū zhuō shì yòng shí mù zuò de.
This desk is made of solid wood.

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.

书 writing and 桌 table combine to mean a writing desk.

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

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

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

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

桌 has 卓 on top, giving the sound and a sense of high, and 木 below, wood; the bottom of 卓 has merged into 木.

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