老虎机 (lǎo hǔ jī) — slot machine

Definition

noun
slot machine
Measure word · 台

Examples

  • 老虎机，。
    Tā zài dǔ chǎng wán le yì wǎn shàng de lǎo hǔ jī, shū le bù shǎo qián.
    He played slot machines all night at the casino and lost a lot of money.
  • 老虎机，。
    Zhè ge jiǔ bā jiǎo luò bǎi zhe liǎng tái lǎo hǔ jī, kè rén cháng qù shì shǒu qì.
    This bar has two slot machines in the corner; customers often try their luck.
  • 老虎机，。
    Tā chén mí yú lǎo hǔ jī, bǎ jī xù dōu huā guāng le.
    He became addicted to slot machines and spent all his savings.

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.

老虎tiger
老lǎo虎hǔtiger
前缀Prefix
机jīmachine

老虎 names a tiger, and 机 means machine; the slot machine is named after a tiger.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

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

虎 originally drew a tiger's head. Its body disappeared, and the legs and tail became the lower part.

Open 虎 →

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
Gambling & Chance

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