对角线 (duì jiǎo xiàn) — diagonal (line)

Definition

noun
diagonal (line)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • ，对角线。
    Zài zhèng fāng xíng zhōng, liǎng tiáo duì jiǎo xiàn de cháng dù xiāng děng.
    In a square, the lengths of the two diagonals are equal.
  • ，对角线。
    Tā huà le yí gè jǔ xíng, bìng cè liáng le duì jiǎo xiàn.
    He drew a rectangle and measured the diagonal.
  • 对角线。
    Zhè ge tú xíng yǒu liǎng tiáo duì jiǎo xiàn.
    This figure has two diagonals.

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.

对角opposite angles
对duìopposite角jiǎoangle
偏正Modifier + head
线xiànline

对角 means opposite angles and 线 means line, giving the line joining opposite angles.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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