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健身操 (jiàn shēn cāo) — aerobics

Definition

noun
aerobics
Measure word · 套

Examples

  • 健身操。
    Měi tiān jiān chí zuò jiàn shēn cāo kě yǐ zēng qiáng tǐ zhì.
    Doing aerobics every day can strengthen your body.
  • 健身操。
    Tā bào míng cān jiā le jiàn shēn cāo kè chéng.
    She signed up for an aerobics course.
  • 健身操。
    jiàn shēn cāo Shì yì zhǒng yǒu yǎng yùn dòng.
    Aerobics is a type of aerobic exercise.

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.

健身keep fit
健jiànstrengthen身shēnbody
动宾Verb + object
操cāoexercise

健身 means strengthening the body, and 操 means exercise; together it names a body-strengthening routine.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
建
建jiàn健jiàn
Same sound today

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

Open 健 →

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.

Open 身 →

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 →
Appears in
Fitness & Exercise

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