博物馆 (bó wù guǎn) — museum | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

museum

Measure word · 个

Examples

博物馆。
Wǒ zuó tiān qù le bó wù guǎn.
I went to the museum yesterday.
博物馆。
Zhè ge bó wù guǎn de mén piào hěn pián yi.
The tickets for this museum are very cheap.
博物馆。
bó wù guǎn Lǐ bù néng pāi zhào.
You cannot take photos inside the museum.

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.

博物broad knowledge of things

博bóknow broadly物wùthings

动宾Verb + object

Broad knowledge of things and a hall combine to mean a museum.

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.

十尃博

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

尃

尃fū博

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

The shape comes from combining 十 (ten) with 尃; 尃 gives the sound.

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

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

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 館; 馆 is its simplified writing.

飠官館

Meaning part形符xíngfú

飠Written in full as食shí

Sound part声符shēngfú

官

官guān館guǎn

Same sound today

The traditional form 館 is made of 食, written as 飠 on the left, and 官 on the right; 官 provides the sound. The simplified 馆 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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