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合影 (hé yǐng) — (verb) to take a group photo together; (noun) group photo

Definition

合影 is specifically a group photo (or the act of taking one), with the focus on people together. 联合 means 'joint/combined' in a broader, more abstract sense (efforts, statements).

verb
to take a group photo together
noun
group photo
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ men hé gè yǐng ba.
    Let's take a group photo together.
  • 合影。
    Dà jiā yì qǐ lái hé yǐng.
    Everyone, come take a group photo together.
  • 合影。
    Zhè zhāng hé yǐng pāi dé zhēn hǎo.
    This group photo turned out really well.

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.

合hétogether
影yǐngimage

合 means together and 影 means image, naming a photo taken together.

Characters in this word

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

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
景
景jǐng影yǐng
Same sound today

影 pairs 景, which gives the sound and also carries the idea of image, with 彡, the part that points to shadow.

Open 影 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Photography & Design

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