电价 (diàn jià) — electricity price; price of electricity

Definition

noun
electricity priceprice of electricity

Examples

  • 电价。
    Zuì jìn diàn jià zhǎng le hěn duō.
    Recently electricity prices have risen a lot.
  • 电价。
    Zhèng fǔ jué dìng jiàng dī diàn jià.
    The government decided to lower electricity prices.
  • 电价，。
    diàn jià Tài gāo le, wǒ men dé jié yuē yòng diàn.
    Electricity prices are too high; we have to save electricity.

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.

电diànelectricity
价jiàprice

电 (electricity) sets the kind of 价 (price), meaning electricity price.

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
介
介jiè价jiè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

价 pairs 人 (person) with 介, which gives the sound.

Open 价 →

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