机位 (jī wèi) — (photography) camera position, camera placement…

Definition

机位 has two unrelated senses: a camera's position or angle (摄影用法), and a seat assignment on a plane (航空用法, like 座位). Pick the sense from context.

noun

(photography) camera positioncamera placement(aviation) airplane seatseat assignment

Measure word · 个

机位。
Shè yǐng shī xuǎn le yí gè hěn hǎo de jī wèi lái pāi xī yáng.
The photographer chose a great camera position to shoot the sunset.
机位，38A。
Nǐ de jī wèi zài kào chuāng de wèi zhì, 38A.
Your seat is by the window, 38A.
机位。
Zhè ge jī wèi pāi chū lái de huà miàn hěn wěn.
The footage from this camera location is very steady.

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.

机jīmachine

位wèiposition

机 refers to a camera or airplane, and 位 refers to a position or seat.

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.

木几机

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree; wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

立lì位wèi

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

位 combines 人 (man), related to people, with 立, which gives the sound. It was often simply written as 立.

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