二进宫 (èr jìn gōng) — (title) a famous Peking opera about political intrigue during the Ming dynasty; (colloquial) a second prison term; being jailed for a repeat offense

Definition

A fixed phrase with two senses: the title of a classic Peking opera about Ming-dynasty intrigue, and colloquially, a second prison term (a repeat offense).

noun
(title) a famous Peking opera about political intrigue during the Ming dynasty(colloquial) a second prison termbeing jailed for a repeat offense

Examples

  • ，二进宫。
    Tā yīn wèi dào qiè zài cì rù yù, zhè shì tā de èr jìn gōng le.
    He was jailed again for theft — this is his second time in prison.
  • 《二进宫》。
    《èr jìn gōng》 Shì jīng jù jīng diǎn jù mù zhī yī.
    Er Jin Gong is one of the classic Peking opera repertoire.
  • 二进宫，。
    Bú yào qīng shì èr jìn gōng, fǎ lǜ bú huì gěi nǐ tài duō jī huì.
    Don't underestimate a second prison term — the law won't give you many chances.

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.

二èrtwice
进宫enter the palace
进jìnenter宫gōngpalace
动宾Verb + object

二 gives twice, 进宫 means enter the palace, so 二进宫 refers to a repeat jail term.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 進; 进 is its simplified writing.

  • 辵辵chuòwalk
  • 隹隹zhuīshort-tail bird

The traditional form 進 pairs 辵 (walk) with 隹 (short-tail bird): the picture showed moving forward because a bird can only walk forward, not backward. The simplified 进 is a later shorthand.

Open 进 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 宮; 宫 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀mián
  • 呂呂lǚ

The traditional form 宮 is built from 宀 and 呂.

Open 宫 →

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