加勒特 (jiā lè tè) — (noun) Garrett (transliteration of a foreign name)

Definition

A transliteration used only as a foreign person's name (Garrett). It carries no independent meaning in Chinese — learn it as a proper noun you'd see in names of people, not as a vocabulary item with its own senses.

noun
Garrett (transliteration of a foreign name)

Examples

  • 加勒特。
    jiā lè tè Shì wǒ de wài guó péng you.
    Garrett is my foreign friend.
  • 加勒特。
    Wǒ zuó tiān gēn jiā lè tè yì qǐ chī fàn le.
    I ate with Garrett yesterday.
  • 加勒特。
    jiā lè tè De zhōng wén shuō dé hěn hǎo.
    Garrett speaks Chinese very well.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

加jiā
勒lè
特tè

加, 勒, 特 only spell Garrett; the characters carry no meaning here.

Sound-only characters

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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
革革gé
Sound part声符shēngfú
力
力lì勒lè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

勒 pairs 革 (leather), because bridles are made of leather, with 力, which gives the sound.

Open 勒 →

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
牛牛niúox
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì特tè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

Open 特 →

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