机器 (jī qì) — machine | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

机器 means any mechanical device — a generic term covering from simple tools to factory equipment. 机械 is more abstract, often meaning 'machinery' as a whole or the mechanical side of something.

noun

machine

Measure word · 台, 部, 个

Examples

机器，。
Zhè tái jī qì shì xīn de, yòng qǐ lái hěn fāng biàn.
This machine is new and very convenient to use.
机器。
Gōng chǎng lǐ yǒu yì bǎi duō bù jī qì zài tóng shí gōng zuò.
There are over a hundred machines working at the same time in the factory.
机器。
Tā huā le yí gè xiǎo shí cái xué huì cāo zuò zhè ge jī qì.
It took him an hour to learn how to operate this machine.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

机jīmachine

器qìdevice

机 and 器 both refer to mechanical devices, together naming a machine.

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

几jǐ机jī

Same sound today

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

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Appears in

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