圣坛 (shèng tán) — altar | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

altar

Measure word · 座

圣坛。
Jiào táng lǐ yǒu yí gè dà lǐ shí shèng tán.
There is a marble altar in the church.
圣坛。
Rén men zài shèng tán qián qián chéng de qí dǎo.
People devoutly pray before the altar.
圣坛。
Zhè ge gǔ dài shèng tán bǎo cún dé fēi cháng wán hǎo.
This ancient altar is very well preserved.

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.

圣 means holy, and 坛 is an altar, so the word denotes a holy altar.

Characters in this word

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 聖; 圣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

呈

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 聖 puts 耳 (ear) beside 呈, which gives the sound; the simplified 圣 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

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 壇; 坛 is its simplified writing.

土亶壇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

亶

亶dǎn壇tán

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 壇 pairs 土 (earth) with 亶 as a sound component; the simplified 坛 is a later shorthand.

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