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媒体 (méi tǐ) — media, news media

Definition

媒体 (méitǐ) means 'the media' as an institution — news outlets, TV, newspapers, the press collectively. Newer/digital media is 新媒体; the more abstract sense of 'medium' or 'channel' is 媒介.

noun
medianews media
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 媒体。
    Zhè jiā méi tǐ bào dào le zuì xīn de xīn wén.
    This media outlet reported the latest news.
  • 媒体？
    Nǐ xiāng xìn méi tǐ shuō de huà ma?
    Do you believe what the media says?
  • 媒体。
    méi tǐ Zài xiàn dài shè huì zhōng hěn zhòng yào.
    The media is very important in modern society.

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.

媒méimedium
体tǐbody

媒 medium and 体 body combine to mean an entity that carries information.

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
某
某mǒu媒méi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

媒 combines 女, a woman, with 某, which gives it its sound.

Open 媒 →

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →
Appears in
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