扫描 (sǎo miáo) — to scan | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

扫描 means 'to scan' with a device — documents, images, or body parts (e.g. a brain scan). Don't confuse it with 扫 (to sweep) or 打扫 (to clean); the focus here is digital/medical scanning, not physical sweeping.

verb

to scan

Examples

扫描。
Qǐng bǎ zhè xiē wén jiàn sǎo miáo yí xià.
Please scan these documents.
扫描。
Zhè ge ruǎn jiàn kě yǐ sǎo miáo tú piàn shàng de wén zì.
This software can scan the text from images.
扫描。
Yī shēng yòng yí qì sǎo miáo le tā de dà nǎo.
The doctor used a device to scan his brain.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

扫 means to sweep or scan, and 描 means to trace; together they describe tracing over something to scan it.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 掃; 扫 is its simplified writing.

The form 掃 draws a hand with a broomstick, the thing used for sweeping.

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

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

苗

苗miáo描miáo

Same sound today

The hand part 手 is on the left, showing the action is done with the hand. The right part 苗 gives the sound.

Appears in

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