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手机 (shǒu jī) — cell phone; mobile phone

Definition

手机 specifically means a mobile/cell phone. 电话 can mean the device, a phone call, or a phone number — use 手机 when you only mean the handheld device.

noun
cell phonemobile phone
Measure word · 部, 支

Examples

  • 手机。
    Wǒ yǒu yí gè shǒu jī.
    I have a cell phone.
  • 手机。
    Wǒ de shǒu jī hěn xīn.
    My cell phone is very new.
  • 手机。
    Tā yòng shǒu jī dǎ diàn huà.
    He uses his cell phone to make a call.

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.

手shǒuhand
机jīmachine

The idea of 手 paired with 机 gives a hand machine, i.e. a phone carried in hand.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1HSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsPhones & Telecom2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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