兵员 (bīng yuán) — soldiers; troops | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

soldierstroops

Measure word · 名

兵员。
Zhè ge guó jiā de bīng yuán shù liàng zhèng zài zēng jiā.
The number of soldiers in this country is increasing.
兵员。
Wǒ men xū yào gèng duō de bīng yuán lái bǎo wèi biān jìng.
We need more troops to defend the border.
兵员，。
Zhè xiē bīng yuán xùn liàn yǒu sù, zhàn dòu lì hěn qiáng.
These soldiers are well-trained and have strong combat capability.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

员yuánperson/member

兵 (soldier) and 员 (person/member) together mean soldiers or troops.

Characters in this word

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

兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.

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 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

〇

〇líng員yuán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.