电风扇 (diàn fēng shàn) — electric fan

Definition

noun

electric fan

Measure word · 架

，电风扇。
Xià tiān de shí hou, wǒ měi tiān wǎn shàng dōu kāi diàn fēng shàn.
In summer, I turn on the electric fan every night.
电风扇，。
Zhè tái diàn fēng shàn de shēng yīn hěn xiǎo, bú huì yǐng xiǎng nǐ shuì jiào.
This electric fan is very quiet and won't disturb your sleep.
电风扇，。
Tā bǎ diàn fēng shàn duì zhe chuāng hu chuī, ràng kōng qì liú tōng.
He pointed the electric fan at the window to circulate the air.

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

风扇fan

偏正Modifier + head

电 tells the fan runs on electricity, while 风 and 扇 give a device that moves wind.

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

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.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

扇 puts 戶 (door) over 羽 (feather).