减震器 (jiǎn zhèn qì) — shock absorber

Definition

noun

shock absorber

Measure word · 个

减震器，。
Zhè liàng qì chē de jiǎn zhèn qì yǐ jīng huài le, kāi qǐ lái hěn diān bǒ.
The shock absorber on this car is broken, so it rides very bumpy.
减震器。
Hǎo de jiǎn zhèn qì néng yǒu xiào jiǎn shǎo lù miàn zhèn dòng.
A good shock absorber can effectively reduce road vibration.
减震器。
Wéi xiū shī fu jiàn yì wǒ gēng huàn hòu lún de jiǎn zhèn qì.
The mechanic suggested I replace the rear shock absorber.

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.

减震reduce vibration

动宾Verb + object

减震 describes reducing vibration, and 器 means device, so a shock-absorbing device.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 減; 减 is its simplified writing.

氵咸減

The traditional form 減 has 氵, water, and 咸, a seal: sealing off a stream of water lessens its flow. The simplified 减 is a later abbreviation.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

雨辰震

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

辰

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

震 combines 雨 (rain) with 辰 (chén), which gives the sound; 雨 is the part associated with the character’s meaning.

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.