地震学 (dì zhèn xué) — seismology

Definition

noun
seismology

Examples

  • 地震学。
    Tā zhèng zài yán jiū dì zhèn xué.
    He is studying seismology.
  • 地震学。
    dì zhèn xué Shì yì mén yán jiū dì zhèn de kē xué.
    Seismology is a science that studies earthquakes.
  • 地震学。
    Hěn duō dà xué dōu yǒu dì zhèn xué zhuān yè.
    Many universities have a seismology major.

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.

地震earthquake
地dìearth震zhènshake
主谓Subject + predicate
学xuéstudy

The study of earthquakes: 地震 names the phenomenon, 学 names the discipline.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
辰
辰chén震zhèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

震 combines 雨 (rain) with 辰 (chén), which gives the sound; 雨 is the part associated with the character’s meaning.

Open 震 →

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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