猎户座 (Liè hù zuò) — Orion (constellation) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Orion (constellation)

Examples

猎户座。
Dōng tiān wǎn shàng zuì róng yì kàn dào Liè hù zuò.
Orion is easiest to see on winter nights.
猎户座。
Tā yòng wàng yuǎn jìng guān chá Liè hù zuò de xīng yún.
He observed the nebula of Orion with a telescope.
猎户座。
Liè hù zuò De sān kē xīng pái chéng yì tiáo zhí xiàn.
The three stars of Orion are aligned in a straight line.

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.

猎户hunter

猎lièhunt户hùperson

偏正Modifier + head

座zuòconstellation

猎户 means hunter, and 座 means constellation, so the name is the hunter constellation.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

昔

昔xī猎liè

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

In 猎, the left part 犬 means dog and the right part 昔 provides the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 戶; 户 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 戶 is a picture of half of a gate. The simplified 户 is a later shorthand, so its shape should not be read as the original parts.

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

广坐座

Meaning part形符xíngfú

广广guǎnghouse on cliff

Sound part声符shēngfú

坐

坐zuò座zuò

Same sound today

座 pairs 广, a house on a cliff, with 坐 to give the sound.

Appears in

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