接力棒 (jiē lì bàng) — relay baton | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

relay baton

Measure word · 根

接力棒。
Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng ná zhe jiē lì bàng.
He was holding the relay baton during the race.
接力棒。
Tā bǎ jiē lì bàng gěi le xià yí gè rén.
She handed the relay baton to the next person.
，接力棒。
Jiē lì sài zhōng, jiē lì bàng fēi cháng zhòng yào.
In a relay race, the baton is very important.

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.

接力relay

接jiēreceive力lìstrength

动宾Verb + object

接力 names a relay race, and 棒 is the baton runners pass to each other.

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.

扌妾接

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

妾

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, matching the sense of receiving something in the hand, while 妾 gives the character its sound.

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

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

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

木奉棒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree, wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

奉

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

棒 combines 木 (wood) with 奉, which gives the sound, to write a wooden club.