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电子游戏 (diàn zǐ yóu xì) — video game; electronic game

Definition

noun
video gameelectronic game
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 电子游戏。
    Wǒ zhōu mò xǐ huan wán diàn zǐ yóu xì.
    I like to play video games on weekends.
  • 电子游戏。
    diàn zǐ yóu xì Chǎn yè zài guò qù shí nián fā zhǎn hěn kuài.
    The video game industry has grown rapidly in the past decade.
  • 电子游戏。
    Tā huā tài duō shí jiān zài diàn zǐ yóu xì shàng.
    He spends too much time on video games.

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.

电子electronic
电diànelectricity子zǐending
后缀Suffix
游戏game
游yóuplay戏xìplay or game
联合Coordinate

电子 means electronic, and 游戏 means game; together they name an electronic game.

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 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
斿
斿yóu游yóu
Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →

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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gēhalberd
Sound part声符shēngfú
䖒
䖒䖒戲xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →
Appears in
Games & Puzzles

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