健身器 (jiàn shēn qì) — fitness equipment, exercise machine

Definition

noun

fitness equipmentexercise machine

Measure word · 台

健身器，。
Zhè tái jiàn shēn qì hěn hǎo yòng, wǒ měi tiān dōu huì yòng tā duàn liàn.
This exercise machine is very easy to use; I use it to work out every day.
健身器。
Jiàn shēn fáng lǐ yǒu gè zhǒng gè yàng de jiàn shēn qì.
There are all kinds of fitness equipment in the gym.
健身器，。
Tā huā le hěn duō qián mǎi jiàn shēn qì, dàn hěn shǎo yòng.
He spent a lot of money buying fitness equipment but rarely uses it.

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.

健身fitness

动宾Verb + object

健 relates to strengthening health, 身 to the body, and 器 to a device, giving equipment for strengthening the body.

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.

亻建健

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

建

Same sound today

The left part 亻 depicts a person, and the right part 建 gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.