悬停 (xuán tíng) — to hover (of aircraft, drones, etc.)

Definition

verb

to hover (of aircraft, drones, etc.)

悬停。
Zhí shēng jī zài kōng zhōng de xuán tíng.
The helicopter is hovering in the air.
悬停。
Zhè jià wú rén jī kě yǐ xuán tíng bàn xiǎo shí.
This drone can hover for half an hour.
悬停。
Xīn xíng zhàn dòu jī méi yǒu xuán tíng néng lì.
The new fighter jet does not have hovering capability.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

悬xuánsuspended

停tíngstationary

悬 (suspended) and 停 (stationary) combine to mean staying still in the air.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 懸; 悬 is its simplified writing.

縣心懸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

縣

縣xiàn懸xuán

Same sound today

The traditional form 懸 adds 心, “heart,” to the older form 縣, which gave the sound. The simplified 悬 is a later abbreviation.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻亭停

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

亭

Same sound today

The left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 亭 gives the sound tíng; this forms 停.