志愿军 (zhì yuàn jūn) — volunteer army (specifically the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War)

Definition

Refers specifically to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (中国人民志愿军) sent to fight in the Korean War (1950–1953). As a proper historical term it is usually kept in translation rather than literally rendered as 'volunteer army'.

noun
volunteer army (specifically the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War)
Measure word · 支

Examples

  • 志愿军。
    zhì yuàn jūn Zài cháo xiǎn zhàn chǎng shàng yīng yǒng zuò zhàn.
    The Volunteer Army fought bravely on the Korean battlefield.
  • 志愿军。
    Xǔ duō nián qīng rén bào míng cān jiā le zhì yuàn jūn.
    Many young people signed up to join the Volunteer Army.
  • 志愿军。
    Guān yú zhì yuàn jūn de diàn yǐng hé shū jí fēi cháng duō.
    There are many movies and books about the Volunteer Army.

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.

志愿voluntary wish
志zhìaspiration愿yuànwish
联合Side by side
军jūnarmy

志愿 names the wish to serve, and 军 marks the organized force.

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
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī志zhì
Same sound today

志 has 心, the heart, below and a simplified top from 之 for sound.

Open 志 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
原
原yuán愿yuàn
Same sound today

愿 places 心 (heart) below 原, which supplies the sound yuán; the 心 part marks the sense of heart or feeling.

Open 愿 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 軍; 军 is its simplified writing.

  • 車車jūcart; chariot
  • 勹勹bāoto surround

In the traditional form 軍, 車 shows the chariot sense, while the part now written 勹 is a sound part, not the 'surround' 勹. Simplified 军 is a later shorthand.

Open 军 →

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