低速 (dī sù) — low speed | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

low speed

Examples

低速。
Zài dī sù xià kāi chē bǐ jiào ān quán.
Driving at low speed is safer.
低速。
Tā xuǎn zé le dī sù mó shì.
He chose the low-speed mode.
低速30。
Zhè tiáo lù de dī sù xiàn zhì shì měi xiǎo shí 30 gōng lǐ.
The low-speed limit on this road is 30 km per hour.

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.

The idea of 低 as low joined with 速 as speed gives low speed.

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.

亻氐低

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénman, person

Sound part声符shēngfú

氐

氐dī低dī

Same sound today

In 低, the left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 氐 gives the sound; the image is a person lowering or bowing themselves.

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

辵辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

束

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

速 pairs 辵, the walking part, with 束, which is used for its sound; the walking part fits the meaning of moving fast.

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