回顾展 (huí gù zhǎn) — retrospective exhibition

Definition

noun

retrospective exhibition

Measure word · 个

回顾展。
Měi shù guǎn zhèng zài jǔ bàn yí wèi zhù míng huà jiā de huí gù zhǎn.
The art museum is holding a retrospective exhibition of a famous painter.
回顾展，。
Wǒ zuó tiān qù kàn le nà ge shè yǐng shī de huí gù zhǎn, fēi cháng zhèn hàn.
I went to see that photographer's retrospective exhibition yesterday; it was very impressive.
回顾展。
Zhè cì huí gù zhǎn zhǎn chū le tā sān shí nián lái de dài biǎo zuò pǐn.
This retrospective exhibition displays his representative works from the past thirty years.

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.

回顾look back

偏正Modifier + head

展zhǎnexhibition

'回顾' looks back over the past, and '展' is an exhibition, so it is a retrospective show.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 顧; 顾 is its simplified writing.

雇頁顧

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yè

Sound part声符shēngfú

雇

Same sound today

The traditional form 顧 combines 雇 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; 顾 is the simplified form of 顧.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

𧝑

𧝑𧝑展zhǎn

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

展 is built from 尸 and 𧝑. The 𧝑 part points to fine red silk clothes and also contains the idea of opening or extending.