船坞 (chuán wù) — dock; shipyard | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

dockshipyard

Measure word · 座

Examples

船坞。
Zhè sōu chuán zhèng zài chuán wù lǐ wéi xiū.
This ship is being repaired in the dock.
船坞。
Xīn jiàn de chuán wù kě yǐ tóng shí zào sān sōu dà chuán.
The new shipyard can build three large ships at the same time.
船坞。
Gōng rén men zài chuán wù lǐ rì yè gǎn gōng.
The workers are working day and night in the dock.

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.

船, a ship, combines with 坞, a dock, to mean a place for ships.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

舟舟zhōuboat

Sound part声符shēngfú

㕣

㕣㕣船

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

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 塢; 坞 is its simplified writing.

土烏塢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔsoil

Sound part声符shēngfú

烏

烏wū塢wù

Same sound today

The traditional form 塢 pairs 土 (soil) with 烏 as a sound component; the simplified 坞 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical part.

Appears in

Buildings & Structures Boats & Water Travel

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