舰 (jiàn) — warship; naval vessel
Definition
舰 is a bound morpheme meaning 'warship,' almost always combined as 军舰 (warship) or 舰队 (fleet). It pairs with the measure word 艘, like 船.
bound form
warshipnaval vessel
Easily confused
- 靓jìnglook-alikebeautiful, attractive (bound form, used in compounds)
- 见jiànsound-aliketo see; to meet
- 规guīlook-alike(bound morpheme) rule, regulation, standard (in 规定, 规则, 规模)
- 件jiànsound-alike(classifier) for items of clothing, objects, and matters
- 般bānlook-alike(bound root) kind, sort, way (in compounds like 一般, 百般)
- 建jiànsound-aliketo build, to establish, to construct
Examples
- 。Zhè sōu jūn jiàn shì wǒ men zuì xīn yán fā de.This warship is our latest development.
- 。jiàn Duì zhèng zài hǎi shàng jìn xíng jūn shì yǎn xí.The fleet is conducting military exercises at sea.
- 。Háng kōng mǔ jiàn shì yì zhǒng zhòng yào de hǎi jūn zhuāng bèi.An aircraft carrier is an important piece of naval equipment.
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 艦; 舰 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān艦⁰jiàn
Same sound today
The traditional form 艦 pairs 舟 (boat) with 監 to give the sound; the simplified 舰 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.
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