坠机 (zhuì jī) — (noun) airplane crash; (verb) to crash (of an a… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

坠机 (zhuìjī) literally means 'falling plane' and is a compound noun/verb used specifically for a crash of an airplane in flight — not a car or other vehicle.

noun

airplane crash

verb

to crash (of an airplane)

Examples

坠机，。
Nà jià fēi jī zhuì jī le, jī shàng wú rén shēng huán.
That airplane crashed, and no one onboard survived.
坠机。
Zhè cì zhuì jī zào chéng le yì bǎi duō rén sǐ wáng.
This airplane crash caused over a hundred deaths.
坠机。
Diào chá rén yuán zhèng zài diào chá zhuì jī de yuán yīn.
The investigators are investigating the cause of the airplane crash.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

机jīairplane

'坠' (fall) and '机' (airplane) combine to mean an airplane falling, i.e. a crash.

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.

队土坠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

队

队duì坠zhuì

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

坠 combines 土, an earth-related part, with 队, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木几机

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree; wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

几jǐ机jī

Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Appears in

Air Travel Safety & Danger

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