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电视机 (diàn shì jī) — television set, TV set

Definition

noun
television setTV set
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 电视机。
    Wǒ jiā mǎi le yì tái xīn diàn shì jī.
    My family bought a new TV set.
  • 电视机。
    Zhè tái diàn shì jī de píng mù hěn dà.
    This TV set's screen is very big.
  • 电视机。
    Tā měi tiān huí jiā jiù kàn diàn shì jī.
    He watches TV as soon as he comes home every day.

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shìvision
偏正Modifier + head
机jīmachine

电视 means electric vision, and 机 is a machine, so 电视机 is a television set.

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 →

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →
Appears in
Miscellaneous Objects

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