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

Definition

noun

seat beltsafety belt

Measure word · 条

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.

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

安ānpeaceful全quáncomplete

联合Side by side

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.

宀女安

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀mián

Sound part声符shēngfú

女

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.

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.

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.

Appears in