家用电器 (jiā yòng diàn qì) — household appliances, home appliances

Definition

noun
household applianceshome appliances
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 家用电器。
    Zuì jìn wǒ men mǎi le hěn duō xīn de jiā yòng diàn qì.
    We've bought a lot of new home appliances recently.
  • 家用电器。
    Zhè xiē jiā yòng diàn qì dōu hěn shěng diàn.
    These household appliances are all very energy-efficient.
  • 家用电器。
    jiā yòng diàn qì Huài le kě yǐ zhǎo chǎng jiā wéi xiū.
    If a home appliance breaks down, you can contact the manufacturer for repair.

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.

家用household use
家jiāhome用yònguse
偏正Modifier + head
电器electrical appliance
电diànelectricity器qìappliance
偏正Modifier + head

Electrical appliances (电器) for home use (家用).

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

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

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →

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