电瓶 (diàn píng) — car battery; rechargeable battery (especially lead-acid)

Definition

noun
car batteryrechargeable battery (especially lead-acid)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 电瓶，。
    Wǒ de chē diàn píng méi diàn le, xū yào huàn yí gè xīn de.
    My car battery is dead, I need to replace it with a new one.
  • 电瓶，。
    Zhè ge diàn píng kě yǐ chōng diàn, bú yòng jīng cháng huàn.
    This battery is rechargeable, so you don't need to replace it often.
  • 电瓶。
    Shī fu bāng wǒ bǎ diàn píng zhuāng hǎo le.
    The mechanic helped me install the battery.

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
瓶píngbottle

电 names electricity, and 瓶 is the bottle-like cell, giving a battery.

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
瓦瓦wǎearthenware
Sound part声符shēngfú
并
并bìng瓶píng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瓶 uses 瓦 to show an earthenware vessel and 并 for the sound. The original vessel had a long slender neck and narrow mouth.

Open 瓶 →

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