会操 (huì cāo) — military drill (collective, often involving multiple units); joint exercise or parade (military or school context)

Definition

会操 (huì) is a formal military drill or parade involving multiple units gathered together — typically a large-scale, organized display rather than routine training.

noun
military drill (collective, often involving multiple units)joint exercise or parade (military or school context)
Measure word · 次

Examples

  • 会操。
    Zhè cì huì cāo yǒu sān qiān duō míng shì bīng cān jiā.
    More than three thousand soldiers participated in this joint drill.
  • 会操。
    Xué xiào měi nián qiū jì dōu huì jǔ xíng yí cì huì cāo.
    The school holds a military parade every autumn.
  • 会操，。
    huì cāo Jié shù hòu, lǐng dǎo duì biǎo xiàn yōu xiù de duì wu jìn xíng le biǎo zhāng.
    After the joint exercise, the leaders commended the outstanding units.

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.

会huìgather; joint
操cāodrill

会 suggests gathering or joint action, and 操 means drill, so together they refer to a collective exercise.

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
喿
喿zào操cāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 手 shows a hand, indicating an action done by hand. The right part 喿 gives the sound.

Open 操 →

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