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安琪儿 (ān qí ér) — angel (loanword); transliteration for the name Angel / Angela

Definition

Literary or affectionate loanword for 'angel' (天使 is the standard word). Often used as a girl's name, Angela.

noun
angel (loanword)transliteration for the name Angel / Angela
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 安琪儿。
    Tā zài wǔ tái shàng měi dé xiàng yí gè ān qí ér.
    She looks like an angel on stage.
  • ，安琪儿。
    Xiǎo bǎo bèi, nǐ shì mā ma de ān qí ér.
    Little baby, you are mommy's angel.
  • 安琪儿，。
    Wǒ de hǎo péng you jiào ān qí ér, tā lái zì měi guó.
    My good friend is called Angela; she comes from America.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

安ān
琪qí
儿ér

安琪儿 spells a foreign word for angel; 安, 琪, 儿 carry no meaning here.

Sound-only characters

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安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 →

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí琪qí
Same sound today

琪 is built from 玉 (jade) and 其, which gives the pronunciation qí; the 玉 part points to a jade meaning.

Open 琪 →

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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