别称 (bié chēng) — another name; alternative name

Definition

noun

another namealternative name

Examples

“”别称“”。
"Běi jīng" de bié chēng shì "jīng chéng".
An alternative name for Beijing is 'Jingcheng'.
别称，“”。
Zhè zhǒng zhí wù yǒu hěn duō bié chēng, bǐ rú "yè lái xiāng".
This plant has many alternative names, such as 'night-blooming jasmine'.
“”别称。
"Yuè gōng" shì yuè liang de bié chēng zhī yī.
'Moon Palace' is one of the alternative names for the moon.

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.

别biéother

称chēngname

别 means other and 称 means name, so 别称 is another or alternative name.

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 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

冎冎guǎbone
刂刀dāoknife

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →

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 稱; 称 is its simplified writing.

禾爯稱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hérice

Sound part声符shēngfú

爯

爯chēng稱chēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 稱 pairs 禾 (rice) with 爯, a part giving the sound; it is explained as measuring rice. The simplified 称 is a later shorthand.

Open 称 →