直升机 (zhí shēng jī) — helicopter | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

helicopter

Measure word · 架

Examples

直升机。
Jiù yuán rén yuán chéng zuò zhí shēng jī dào dá le zāi qū.
Rescue workers arrived at the disaster area by helicopter.
直升机。
Zhè jià zhí shēng jī kě yǐ zuò sì gè rén.
This helicopter can seat four people.
直升机。
Chéng shì shàng kōng yǒu yí jià zhí shēng jī zài xún luó.
There is a helicopter patrolling over the city.

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.

直升rise straight

直zhístraight升shēngrise

偏正Modifier + head

机jīmachine

直升 suggests a machine that rises straight, so 直升机 names a helicopter.

Characters in this word

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

目目mùeye
丨丨gǔn?

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from a drawing of a standard dipper used to measure one 升.

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

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