红十字 (hóng shí zì) — Red Cross | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Red Cross

Examples

红十字。
hóng shí zì Shì yí gè guó jì rén dào zhǔ yì zǔ zhī.
The Red Cross is an international humanitarian organization.
红十字。
Tā cān jiā le hóng shí zì de jiù yuán péi xùn.
He participated in the Red Cross rescue training.
红十字。
hóng shí zì Biāo zhì zài zhàn chǎng shàng bǎo hù yī hù rén yuán.
The Red Cross symbol protects medical personnel on the battlefield.

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.

红hóngred

十字cross shape

十shíten字zìcharacter

偏正Modifier + head

红 (red) and 十字 (cross shape) together name the Red Cross.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng紅hóng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →

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

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

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

宀子字

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

子

子zǐ字zì

Same sound today

字 pairs 宀 (roof) with 子 (child); 子 gives the sound, while 宀 relates to the meaning.

Open 字 →

Appears in