印象派 (yìn xiàng pài) — Impressionism; the Impressionist school (of art)

Definition

noun
Impressionismthe Impressionist school (of art)

Examples

  • 印象派
    Wǒ zuì jìn duì yìn xiàng pài hěn gǎn xìng qù.
    I've recently become very interested in Impressionism.
  • 印象派
    Zhè cì de zhǎn lǎn zhǔ yào zhǎn shì yìn xiàng pài de zuò pǐn.
    This exhibition mainly displays Impressionist works.
  • 印象派
    yìn xiàng pài Duì xiàn dài yì shù de fā zhǎn yǐng xiǎng hěn dà.
    Impressionism had a great influence on the development of modern art.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

印象impression
yìnimprintxiàngimage
联合Coordinate
pàischool

印象 impression and 派 school combine to name the Impressionist school.

Characters in this word

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

  • zhuǎhand
  • jiékneeling person

印 pairs 爪 (hand) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on a kneeling person.

Open 印 →

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

象 is drawn as an elephant, with a long trunk, a head, and a big body.

Open 象 →

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
shuǐwater; river
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢pài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

派 is built from 水 (water/river) and 𠂢. 𠂢 gives the sound, and 水 was added later to tell the character apart from the older form.

Open 派 →
Appears in

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