安全带 (ān quán dài) — seat belt; safety belt

Definition

noun
seat beltsafety belt
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 安全带
    Shàng chē hòu qǐng xiān xì hǎo ān quán dài.
    After getting in the car, please fasten your seat belt first.
  • 安全带
    Zuò fēi jī de shí hou yě yào xì ān quán dài.
    You also need to fasten your seat belt when flying.
  • 安全带
    Xì ān quán dài kě yǐ bǎo hù nǐ de ān quán.
    Fastening your seat belt can protect your safety.

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.

安全safety
ānpeacefulquáncomplete
联合Coordinate

安全 'safety', from 安 'peaceful' and 全 'complete', describes the 带 'belt'.

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

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape puts 入 together with 玉 to show a whole piece of jade, so it means complete or whole.

Open 全 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Open 带 →

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