电缆 (diàn lǎn) — electric cable; cable | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

electric cablecable

Measure word · 条

Examples

电缆。
Gōng rén zhèng zài pū shè dì xià diàn lǎn.
Workers are laying underground cables.
电缆，。
Zhè gēn diàn lǎn hěn cháng, kě yǐ lián jiē liǎng gè jī fáng.
This cable is very long and can connect two server rooms.
电缆，。
Wǒ men xū yào gēng huàn lǎo huà diàn lǎn, yǐ fáng duǎn lù.
We need to replace the aging cables to prevent short circuits.

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diànelectric

"电" means electric and "缆" means cable, together meaning electric cable.

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.

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 纜; 缆 is its simplified writing.

糹覽纜

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

覽

覽lǎn纜

Same sound today

The traditional form 纜 has 糹 (silk) beside 覽, which gives the sound; the simplified 缆 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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