名录 (míng lù) — directory (list of names)

Definition

noun

directory (list of names)

名录。
Gōng sī míng lù shàng yǒu tā de lián xì fāng shì.
His contact information is in the company directory.
名录。
Zhè běn huì yuán míng lù měi nián dōu huì gēng xīn.
This membership directory is updated every year.
名录。
Nǐ kě yǐ cóng míng lù lǐ chá dào suǒ yǒu yuán gōng de míng zì.
You can look up all employees' names from the directory.

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.

名 gives names and 录 gives records, together forming a list of names.

Characters in this word

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

夕口名

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

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 錄; 录 is its simplified writing.

金彔錄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

彔

彔lù錄lù

Same sound today

The traditional form 錄 combines 金 (metal) with 彔, which gives the sound; the simplified 录 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.