千斤顶 (qiān jīn dǐng) — jack (lifting device), hoisting jack

Definition

noun

jack (lifting device)hoisting jack

Measure word · 台

Examples

千斤顶。
Wǒ yòng qiān jīn dǐng bǎ chē dǐng qǐ lái le.
I used a jack to lift the car.
千斤顶。
Zhè ge qiān jīn dǐng néng chéng shòu wǔ dūn de zhòng liàng.
This jack can support five tons of weight.
千斤顶。
Tā bǎ qiān jīn dǐng shōu qǐ lái le.
He put the jack away.

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.

千斤thousand jin

千qiānthousand斤jīnjin

偏正Modifier + head

顶dǐnglifting device

千斤 names a thousand-jin load and 顶 gives the lifting device, meaning a jack.

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

一一yīone, signifying a number

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén千qiān

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

千 pairs 人, whose sound was similar, with 一, a number stroke; the extra line was explained as extension, and a thousand is a number reached by extending counting.

Open 千 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

斤 is drawn as a simple picture of an axe.

Open 斤 →

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 頂; 顶 is its simplified writing.

丁頁頂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng頂dǐng