班卓琴 (bān zhuó qín) — banjo

Definition

noun
banjo
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 班卓琴。
    Tā měi tiān wǎn shàng tán bān zhuó qín.
    He plays the banjo every evening.
  • 班卓琴。
    Tā mǎi le yì bǎ èr shǒu bān zhuó qín.
    She bought a second-hand banjo.
  • 班卓琴。
    bān zhuó qín Yǒu dú tè de shēng yīn.
    The banjo has a unique sound.

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.

班卓banjo
班bān卓zhuó
琴qíninstrument

班卓 imitates the foreign name and 琴 means instrument, so a banjo.

Characters in this word

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

  • 珏珏juépieces of jade
  • 刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

Open 班 →

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

The old shape has been explained as a child with a flag-like mark above, or as a man standing high on an altar, giving the sense of tall and outstanding.

Open 卓 →

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
珡珡qín
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn琴qín
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

琴 pairs 珡, the part tied to its sense as a stringed instrument, with 今, which gives the sound.

Open 琴 →

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