太空 (tài kōng) — outer space | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

太空 is specifically 'outer space' (the void beyond Earth) — narrower than 空间, which also means room/area or abstract scope. Use it when talking about space exploration, astronauts, satellites, etc.

noun

outer space

Examples

太空。
Yǔ háng yuán zài tài kōng zhōng gōng zuò.
Astronauts work in space.
太空。
Tā mèng xiǎng yǒu yì tiān néng qù tài kōng tàn suǒ.
He dreams of one day being able to explore space.
太空，。
Cóng tài kōng kàn, dì qiú zhǐ shì yí gè lán sè de xiǎo diǎn.
From space, Earth is just a small blue dot.

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.

太tàiextreme

空kōngemptiness

太, 'extreme', with 空, 'emptiness', names the vast void beyond earth.

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.

太 is a modified form of 大, with an extra dot added to show 'too big'.

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

穴工空

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xuécave, hole

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng空kōng

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

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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