第一流 (dì yī liú) — first-rate; first-class; top-notch | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

first-ratefirst-classtop-notch

Examples

第一流。
Zhè jiā jiǔ diàn tí gōng dì yī liú de fú wù.
This hotel provides first-class service.
第一流。
Tā de zuò pǐn dá dào le dì yī liú shuǐ píng.
His work has reached a first-class level.
第一流。
Tā shì yí wèi dì yī liú de kē xué jiā.
He is a top-notch scientist.

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.

第一first

第dìordinal一yīone

前缀Prefix

第一 sets the first rank, and 流 grades things; together they mean first-rate.

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

𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

弟

弟dì第dì

Same sound today

第 shows 𥫗, the bamboo strips once used for writing and sorting, with 弟 giving the sound.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

㐬

㐬㐬流liú

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

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Appears in

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