对讲机 (duì jiǎng jī) — walkie-talkie; intercom

Definition

noun

walkie-talkieintercom

Measure word · 台

Examples

对讲机。
Wǒ yòng duì jiǎng jī hé tóng shì lián xì.
I use a walkie-talkie to contact my colleagues.
对讲机，。
Bàn gōng shì lǐ zhuāng le duì jiǎng jī, bú yòng pǎo lái pǎo qù le.
An intercom has been installed in the office, so no need to run back and forth.
对讲机。
Bǎo ān yòng duì jiǎng jī tōng zhī le suǒ yǒu rén.
The security guard notified everyone with a walkie-talkie.

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.

对讲talk to each other

对duìface-to-face讲jiǎngspeak

偏正Modifier + head

机jīdevice

The idea of 对 (face-to-face) and 讲 (speak) with 机 (device) gives a device for two-way talking.

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.

丵丵zhuótool for digging
土土tǔearth
又又yòuhand

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 →

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 講; 讲 is its simplified writing.

言冓講

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánsay

Sound part声符shēngfú

冓

冓gòu講jiǎng

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

The traditional form 講 puts 言, say, beside 冓, which gave it its sound; the simplified 讲 is a later abbreviation.

Open 讲 →