天使 (tiān shǐ) — angel | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

angel

Measure word · 个

Easily confused

天使。
Tā jiù xiàng yí wèi zhēn zhèng de tiān shǐ.
She is like a real angel.
，天使。
Gǎn xiè nǐ bāng wǒ, nǐ zhēn shì wǒ de tiān shǐ.
Thank you for helping me, you are truly my angel.
天使。
Nà ge tiān shǐ yǒu yí duì bái sè de chì bǎng.
That angel has a pair of white wings.

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.

天 (heaven) and 使 (envoy) combine to picture a messenger from above.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

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

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

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

亻吏使

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

吏

吏lì使shǐ

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

使 pairs 亻 (person) with 吏, which pictures a hand holding something like a flag, giving the sense of a representative or ambassador.

Appears in