示波器 (shì bō qì) — oscilloscope

Definition

noun
oscilloscope
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 示波器。
    Gōng chéng shī yòng shì bō qì cè liáng diàn lù zhōng de pín lǜ.
    The engineer uses an oscilloscope to measure the frequency in the circuit.
  • 示波器。
    Zhè tái xīn de shì bō qì kě yǐ xiǎn shì gèng qīng xī de bō xíng.
    This new oscilloscope can display clearer waveforms.
  • ,示波器。
    Wèi le jiǎn xiū shè bèi, tā mǎi le yì tái èr shǒu de shì bō qì.
    To repair the equipment, he bought a second-hand oscilloscope.

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.

示波display waves
示shìdisplay波bōwave
动宾Verb + object
器qìinstrument

示波 display waves and 器 instrument form a device that shows waveforms.

Characters in this word

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

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí波bō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

Open 波 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →

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