核潜艇 (hé qián tǐng) — nuclear-powered submarine | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

nuclear-powered submarine

Measure word · 艘

Examples

核潜艇。
Zhè sōu hé qián tǐng kě yǐ zài shuǐ xià lián xù háng xíng jǐ gè yuè.
This nuclear-powered submarine can sail continuously underwater for months.
核潜艇。
hé qián tǐng Shì hǎi jūn zuì zhòng yào de zhàn lüè wǔ qì zhī yī.
Nuclear-powered submarines are among the navy's most important strategic weapons.
核潜艇。
Tā men chéng gōng yán zhì le xīn yí dài hé qián tǐng.
They successfully developed a new generation of nuclear-powered submarine.

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.

核hénuclear

潜艇submarine

潜qiánsubmerge艇tǐngboat

偏正Modifier + head

核 means nuclear, while 潜艇 is a submerging boat, giving a nuclear submarine.

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.

木亥核

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

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

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.

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 潛; 潜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

朁

朁cǎn潛qián

Same sound today

The form 潛 has 水 as a meaning part and 朁 as a sound part; this note is about 潛, not the simplified 潜.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

舟廷艇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

舟舟zhōuboat

Sound part声符shēngfú

廷

廷tíng艇tǐng

Same sound today

艇 pairs 舟, meaning boat, with 廷, which gives the sound.

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