秦始皇 (Qín shǐ huáng) — First Emperor of Qin (259–210 BCE), who unified…

Definition

noun

First Emperor of Qin (259–210 BCE), who unified China and standardized writing, currency, and measurements

秦始皇。
Qín shǐ huáng Shì zhōng guó lì shǐ shàng dì yī gè huáng dì.
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor in Chinese history.
秦始皇？
Nǐ zhī dào Qín shǐ huáng xiū jiàn le cháng chéng ma?
Do you know that Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall?
秦始皇。
Qín shǐ huáng Tǒng yī le wén zì hé huò bì.
Qin Shi Huang standardized the writing system and currency.

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.

始皇first emperor

偏正Modifier + head

秦 names the Qin state, 始 means first, and 皇 means emperor, so the title is the First Emperor.

Characters in this word

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

An early 秦 showed a pestle and two hands over grain; in the modern 秦, those upper parts fused into the top, leaving 禾 below.

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

女台始

Meaning part形符xíngfú

女女nǚwoman

Sound part声符shēngfú

台

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

始 is made of 女 (woman) and 台, which gives the sound.

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

𤼽𤼽𤼽

Sound part声符shēngfú

王

王wáng皇huáng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The part 𤼽 originally drew a single peacock feather; 王 was later added to give the sound.