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穿梭机 (chuān suō jī) — space shuttle

Definition

noun
space shuttle
Measure word · 架

Examples

  • 穿梭机。
    Zhè jià chuān suō jī shì zhōng guó de jiāo ào.
    This space shuttle is China's pride.
  • 穿梭机。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū xīn yí dài chuān suō jī.
    Scientists are researching the next generation of space shuttles.
  • 穿梭机。
    chuān suō jī Chéng gōng fǎn huí dì qiú.
    The space shuttle successfully returned to Earth.

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.

穿梭shuttle
穿chuānpass through梭suōshuttle
联合Coordinate
机jīmachine

'穿梭' means moving back and forth like a shuttle, and '机' is a machine, giving space shuttle.

Characters in this word

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

穿 puts 穴 (cave) and 牙 (tooth) together to show passing through or penetrating.

Open 穿 →

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
夋
夋qūn梭suō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

梭 is built from 木, the wood part, and 夋, which gives its sound.

Open 梭 →

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
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.

Open 机 →
Appears in
Space Exploration

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