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空间站 (kōng jiān zhàn) — space station

Definition

A space station is a manned spacecraft orbiting in outer space. While 太空 means outer space itself and 空间 means space as area or the cosmos, 空间站 refers specifically to the station facility.

noun
space station
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 空间站。
    Zhōng guó zhèng zài jiàn zào zì jǐ de kōng jiān zhàn.
    China is building its own space station.
  • 空间站。
    Fēi chuán chéng gōng duì jiē dào le kōng jiān zhàn shàng.
    The spacecraft successfully docked to the space station.
  • 空间站。
    kōng jiān zhàn Lǐ de yǔ háng yuán měi tiān dōu yào duàn liàn shēn tǐ.
    The astronauts in the space station exercise every day.

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.

空间space
空kōngempty space间jiāninterval
联合Coordinate
站zhànstation

空间 (space) and 站 (station) name a station in space.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →

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
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn站zhàn
Same sound today

站 has 立 on the left and 占 on the right; 立 relates to standing, and 占 gives the sound.

Open 站 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Space Exploration

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