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指挥家 (zhǐ huī jiā) — conductor (music)

Definition

noun
conductor (music)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 指挥家。
    Zhè wèi zhǐ huī jiā fēi cháng yǒu míng.
    This conductor is very famous.
  • 指挥家。
    zhǐ huī jiā Zhèng zài zhǐ huī yuè duì yǎn zòu.
    The conductor is directing the orchestra in a performance.
  • 指挥家。
    Zhè wèi nián qīng de zhǐ huī jiā dé dào le hěn duō jiǎng.
    This young conductor has won many awards.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

指挥command
指zhǐpoint挥huīwave
联合Coordinate
家jiāperson

指挥 means to lead, and 家 names a person who does it.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
旨
旨zhǐ指zhǐ
Same sound today

The left part 扌 is the hand form 手. The right part 旨 gives the sound.

Open 指 →

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 揮; 挥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn揮huī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 揮 pairs 扌 (hand) with 軍 as a sound part; the simplified 挥 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 挥 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →
Appears in
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