系领带 (jì lǐng dài) — (verb) to tie a necktie; to wear a necktie | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A separable verb meaning 'to tie/wear a necktie.' The object 领带 can split from 系 (e.g., 系…领带) in measure, duration, or 了 constructions — as in 花了两分钟系领带.

verb

to tie a necktieto wear a necktie

Examples

系领带。
Tā měi tiān shàng bān qián dōu huì jì lǐng dài.
He ties his necktie every day before going to work.
系领带？
Nǐ huì zì jǐ jì lǐng dài ma?
Can you tie a necktie by yourself?
系领带。
Bà ba huā le liǎng fēn zhōng jì lǐng dài.
Dad spent two minutes tying his necktie.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

领带necktie

领lǐngcollar带dàiband

偏正Modifier + head

“系” tie + “领” collar + “带” band gives tying a necktie.

Characters in this word

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

手手shǒu
糸糸mì

系 is made by putting together 手 (hand) and 糸 (silk).

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 領; 领 is its simplified writing.

令頁領

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yè

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

令lìng領lǐng

Same sound today

The traditional form 領 has 令 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; the simplified 领 is a later shorthand.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 2.0 Level 5

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