彩电 (cǎi diàn) — color TV; color television set

Definition

noun
color TVcolor television set
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 彩电。
    Wǒ jiā mǎi le yì tái xīn cǎi diàn.
    My family bought a new color TV.
  • 彩电。
    Zhè tái cǎi diàn de huà miàn fēi cháng qīng xī.
    The picture on this color TV is very clear.
  • 彩电。
    Xiàn zài hěn duō rén bú kàn cǎi diàn le.
    Nowadays many people don't watch color TV anymore.

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.

彩cǎicolor
电diànelectric

彩 gives the color feature and 电 points to the electric television set.

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi彩cǎi
Same sound today

彩 puts 采, which gives the sound, next to 彡, the three-stroke mark that carries the meaning.

Open 彩 →

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 →

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