显微镜 (xiǎn wēi jìng) — microscope

Definition

noun
microscope
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 显微镜，。
    Wǒ mǎi le yì tái xiǎn wēi jìng, yòng lái guān chá zhí wù xì bāo.
    I bought a microscope to observe plant cells.
  • 显微镜？
    Zhè tái xiǎn wēi jìng de fàng dà bèi shù shì duō shǎo?
    What is the magnification of this microscope?
  • ，显微镜。
    Zài shēng wù kè shàng, wǒ men dì yī cì yòng xiǎn wēi jìng.
    In biology class, we used a microscope for the first time.

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.

显微reveal minute things
显xiǎnshow微wēitiny
动宾Verb + object
镜jìnglens

显微 means to reveal tiny things, and 镜 is a lens or instrument, so the word names a device for viewing minute objects.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 顯; 显 is its simplified writing.

  • 日日rìsun
  • 絲絲sīsilk
  • 頁頁yèperson's head

For 显, the traditional form 顯 is made of 日 (sun), 絲 (silk), and 頁 (person's head).

Open 显 →

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

The old form showed 𡵂 (a variant of 美, a person with long hair) and 攵 (a hand with a tool) splitting or combing hairs, hence minute; 微 later added 彳 to emphasize action.

Open 微 →

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 鏡; 镜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
竟
竟jìng鏡jìng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鏡 puts 金, metal, next to 竟 to give the sound. The simplified 镜 is a later shorthand.

Open 镜 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Technology & Engineering

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