灯会 (dēng huì) — lantern festival; lantern show (event featuring decorated lanterns)

Definition

noun
lantern festivallantern show (event featuring decorated lanterns)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 灯会。
    Měi nián yuán xiāo jié wǒ men dōu huì qù kàn dēng huì.
    Every year during the Lantern Festival we go to see the lantern show.
  • 灯会，。
    Zhè cì dēng huì de guī mó hěn dà, yǒu yì qiān duō zhǎn huā dēng.
    This lantern festival is very large, with over a thousand lanterns.
  • 灯会。
    Tā men zhèng zài guǎng chǎng shàng bù zhì dēng huì.
    They are setting up the lantern show in the square.

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.

灯dēnglantern
会huìgathering

灯 are lanterns and 会 is a gathering, naming a lantern festival.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng灯dēng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

灯 pairs 火, which shows fire, with 丁, which gives the sound.

Open 灯 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

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