后视镜 (hòu shì jìng) — rearview mirror

Definition

noun

rearview mirror

Measure word · 个

Examples

后视镜。
Kāi chē qián yí dìng yào tiáo zhěng hǎo hòu shì jìng.
Be sure to adjust the rearview mirror before driving.
后视镜，。
Tā kàn le yì yǎn hòu shì jìng, rán hòu biàn dào.
He glanced at the rearview mirror and then changed lanes.
后视镜。
Zhè liàng chē de hòu shì jìng yǒu zì dòng fáng xuàn mù gōng néng.
This car's rearview mirror has an automatic anti-glare function.

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.

后视rear view

后hòurear视shìview

偏正Modifier + head

镜jìngmirror

后 points to rear, 视 to viewing, and 镜 to mirror, giving a mirror for viewing behind.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

幺幺yāothread
夊夊suīfoot

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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 視; 视 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

見見jiànsee

Sound part声符shēngfú

示

示shì視shì

Same sound today

The story is about the traditional form 視: it combines 見, meaning see, with 示, which gives the sound shì.

Open 视 →

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