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电视台 (diàn shì tái) — television station; TV station

Definition

电视台 is the organization that broadcasts TV programs — a TV station as an institution, not a single channel (频道). It also differs from 电台 (radio station) and 卫视 (satellite TV).

noun
television stationTV station
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 电视台。
    Wǒ měi tiān kàn zhè ge diàn shì tái de xīn wén jié mù.
    I watch the news program on this TV station every day.
  • 电视台。
    Tā zài zhè jiā diàn shì tái dāng jì zhě.
    He works as a reporter at this TV station.
  • 电视台。
    Zhè jiā diàn shì tái de jié mù fēi cháng shòu huān yíng.
    This TV station's programs are very popular.

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.

电视television
电diànelectricity视shìsight
偏正Modifier + head
台táistation

电视 means television and 台 means station, so a television station.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 視; 视 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
示
示shì視shì
Same sound today

The story is about the traditional form 視: it combines 見, meaning see, with 示, which gives the sound shì.

Open 视 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.

Open 台 →
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