现役 (xiàn yì) — active service, active duty (esp. military) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

现役 means 'on active duty' — a formal term used almost exclusively for military personnel who are currently serving. Its opposite, 退役 (retired from service), appears in common phrases like 退伍军人.

noun

active serviceactive duty (esp. military)

Examples

现役，。
Tā shì yì míng xiàn yì jūn rén, zhèng zài zhí xíng rèn wu.
He is an active-duty soldier, currently carrying out a mission.
，现役。
Zhè xiē shì bīng yǐ jīng tuì yì, bú zài shì xiàn yì le.
These soldiers have retired and are no longer on active duty.
现役。
Guó jiā xū yào bǎo chí zú gòu de xiàn yì rén shù yǐ què bǎo ān quán.
The country needs to maintain enough active-duty personnel to ensure security.

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.

现xiàncurrent

现 means current and 役 is duty; 现役 is active duty.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 現; 现 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

見

見jiàn現

Same sound today

The traditional form 現 pairs 玉 (jade) with 見 as a sound part; the simplified 现 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

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

彳殳役

彳彳chìmovement; action
殳殳shūa weapon, like a spear

役 pairs 彳 (movement) with 殳 (a weapon like a spear) to show someone moving with a weapon to guard a border, giving the idea of a duty or task.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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