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照相机 (zhào xiàng jī) — camera

Definition

noun
camera
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 照相机。
    Wǒ yòng zhào xiàng jī pāi le hěn duō zhào piàn.
    I took many photos with the camera.
  • 照相机。
    Zhè tái zhào xiàng jī de zhì liàng hěn hǎo.
    The quality of this camera is very good.
  • 照相机。
    Tā bǎ zhào xiàng jī fàng zài bāo lǐ le.
    He put the camera in the bag.

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.

照相take a photo
照zhàotake相xiāngphoto
动宾Verb + object
机jīmachine

照相 means to take a photo, and 机 is a machine, so it is a photo-taking 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
昭
昭zhāo照zhào
Same sound today

照 uses 灬, a bottom form of 火 (fire), plus 昭 for the sound.

Open 照 →

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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
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.

Open 机 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 3Photography & Design

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