名称 (míng chēng) — name (of a thing, organization, product, etc.) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

名称 (míngchēng) is the more formal word for 'name' of a thing, organization, or product — used in writing and official contexts, where 名字 is the everyday choice. 称号 is an honorary title, not the actual name.

noun

name (of a thing, organization, product, etc.)

Measure word · 个

Examples

名称？
Zhè ge wǎng zhàn de míng chēng shì shén me?
What is the name of this website?
名称。
Qǐng què rèn yí xià zhè ge ruǎn jiàn de míng chēng.
Please confirm the name of this software.
名称，。
Wǒ men gōng sī gǎi le míng chēng, xiàn zài jiào xīn kē jì.
Our company changed its name; now it's called Xin Keji.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

名 means name and 称 means call, together giving the name by which something is called.

Characters in this word

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

夕口名

夕夕xīcrescent moon
口口kǒumouth

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 稱; 称 is its simplified writing.

禾爯稱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hérice

Sound part声符shēngfú

爯

爯chēng稱chēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 稱 pairs 禾 (rice) with 爯, a part giving the sound; it is explained as measuring rice. The simplified 称 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Abstract Concepts

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