改名 (gǎi míng) — to change one's name (of a person, place, or institution)

Definition

A separable verb (离合词): insert a measure word or 了/过 between 改 and 名, as in 改过一次名. Means to change the name of a person, place, or institution.

verb
to change one's name (of a person, place, or institution)

Examples

  • 改名。
    Tā jué dìng gǎi míng.
    He decided to change his name.
  • 。
    Tā gǎi guò yí cì míng.
    He has changed his name once.
  • 。
    Tā gǎi le yí gè hěn hǎo tīng de míng zì.
    He changed his name to a very nice-sounding one.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

改gǎichange
名míngname

"改" means to change and "名" means name, so the word means to change a name.

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì改gǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early form of 改 paired 巳 as a sound part with 攴 as a meaning part; the sound part later changed.

Open 改 →

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.