回教 (Huí jiào) — Islam | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

回教 is an older/traditional Chinese term for Islam, more common in older texts and some regions (e.g. Taiwan). In modern mainland Chinese, 伊斯兰教 is the standard term.

noun

Islam

Examples

回教，。
Tā xìn yǎng Huí jiào, měi tiān dōu huì zuò lǐ bài.
He believes in Islam and performs prayers every day.
回教。
Wǒ zài dà xué xuǎn xiū le yì mén guān yú Huí jiào de kè chéng.
I took a course about Islam at university.
回教。
Huí jiào Shì shì jiè sān dà zōng jiào zhī yī.
Islam is one of the three major religions in the world.

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.

教jiàoreligion

回 points to the Hui Islamic tradition, and 教 means religion, together naming Islam.

Characters in this word

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

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

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

子子zǐchild

攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority

Sound part声符shēngfú

爻

爻yáo教jiào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Appears in

Religion & Belief

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