星体 (xīng tǐ) — celestial body, heavenly body

Definition

noun

celestial bodyheavenly body

Measure word · 个

星体。
Wàng yuǎn jìng néng kàn dào hěn duō yáo yuǎn de xīng tǐ.
Telescopes can see many distant celestial bodies.
星体。
Kē xué jiā tōng guò guān chá xīng tǐ de yùn dòng lái yán jiū yǔ zhòu.
Scientists study the universe by observing the motion of celestial bodies.
星体。
Wǒ men zài dì qiú shàng kàn dào de xīng tǐ dà bù fen shì héng xīng.
Most of the celestial bodies we see from Earth are stars.

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.

星 means star and 体 means body, so the word means a body that is a star or heavenly body.

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.

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

骨豊體

Meaning part形符xíngfú

骨骨gǔbone

Sound part声符shēngfú

豊

豊lǐ體tǐ

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

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Appears in