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圣诞节 (Shèng dàn jié) — Christmas

Definition

noun
Christmas

Examples

  • 圣诞节。
    Wǒ men měi nián dōu hé jiā rén yì qǐ qìng zhù Shèng dàn jié.
    We celebrate Christmas with our family every year.
  • 圣诞节。
    Shèng dàn jié Nà tiān jiē shàng dào chù shì cǎi dēng hé zhuāng shì.
    On Christmas Day the streets are full of colorful lights and decorations.
  • 圣诞节。
    Tā gěi měi gè péng you dōu zhǔn bèi le Shèng dàn jié lǐ wù.
    She prepared Christmas gifts for every friend.

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.

圣诞Christmas
圣shèngholy诞dànbirth
偏正Modifier + head
节jiéfestival

The 圣 and 诞 combine as a holy birth, and 节 marks it as a festival.

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
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
呈
呈chéng聖shèng
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.

Open 圣 →

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 誕; 诞 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword, speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
延
延yán誕dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 誕 combines 言 (word, speech) with 延, which gives the sound; the simplified 诞 is a later shorthand.

Open 诞 →

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 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
Festivals & Holidays2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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