新闻社 (xīn wén shè) — news agency

Definition

noun
news agency
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 新闻社。
    Zhè jiā xīn wén shè bào dào le hěn duō guó jì xīn wén.
    This news agency reports a lot of international news.
  • 新闻社。
    Tā zài yì jiā xīn wén shè gōng zuò.
    He works at a news agency.
  • 新闻社。
    Zhè jiā xīn wén shè lái zì měi guó.
    This news agency is from the United States.

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.

新闻news
新xīnnew闻wénheard things
偏正Modifier + head
社shèagency

新闻 means news, from 新 new and 闻 heard things, and 社 names an agency.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

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 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →

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

社 joins 示 (god; deity) and 土 (soil), so its shape is about the god of the land.

Open 社 →

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