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小提琴 (xiǎo tí qín) — violin

Definition

noun
violin
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 小提琴。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù kāi shǐ xué xiǎo tí qín.
    She started learning the violin from a young age.
  • 小提琴。
    Zhè bǎ xiǎo tí qín shì wǒ yé ye liú gěi wǒ de.
    This violin was left to me by my grandfather.
  • 小提琴。
    Tā měi tiān dōu yào liàn liǎng gè xiǎo shí de xiǎo tí qín.
    He practices the violin for two hours every day.

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.

小xiǎosmall
提琴violin
提tíhold琴qíninstrument
偏正Modifier + head

小提琴 is the small violin: 小 means small, and 提琴 is a held stringed instrument.

Characters in this word

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì提tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

提 shows 扌 (hand) beside 是, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 提 →

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
珡珡qín
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn琴qín
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

琴 pairs 珡, the part tied to its sense as a stringed instrument, with 今, which gives the sound.

Open 琴 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Music

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