电话机 (diàn huà jī) — telephone (set) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

telephone (set)

Measure word · 部

Examples

电话机。
Zhè tái diàn huà jī hěn jiù le.
This telephone set is very old.
电话机。
Qǐng bǎ diàn huà jī fàng zài zhuō zi shàng.
Please put the telephone set on the desk.
电话机。
Wǒ mǎi le yí gè xīn diàn huà jī.
I bought a new telephone set.

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.

电话telephone

电diànelectric话huàspeech

偏正Modifier + head

机jīmachine

The meaning comes from 电话 specifying the type of 机, i.e. a telephone apparatus.

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánword

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑話huà

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 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木几机

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.

Appears in

Phones & Telecom

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