线 (xiàn) — thread; string; wire; line; (classifier) for rays, lines, or threads of something (e.g., hope, light); tier (in city ranking)
Definition
线 (xiàn) covers a thin cord, wire, or line — concrete (电话线, 电线) and abstract (一∼希望, a ray of hope). It is also the classifier for such thread-like things, measured with 条, 股, or 根.
noun
threadstringwirelinetier (in city ranking)
classifier
for rayslinesor threads of something (e.g., hope, light)
Measure word · 条, 股, 根
Easily confused
Examples
- ，。Diàn huà xiàn duàn le, xū yào huàn yì gēn xīn de.The telephone line is broken; I need to replace it with a new one.
- 。Běi jīng shì yī xiàn chéng shì.Beijing is a first-tier city.
- 。Tā hái yǒu yī xiàn xī wàng.He still has a ray of hope.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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