营业执照 (yíng yè zhí zhào) — business license

Definition

noun
business license
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 营业执照。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de yíng yè zhí zhào shì qù nián shēn qǐng de.
    This company's business license was applied for last year.
  • 营业执照。
    Kāi diàn zhī qián bì xū xiān bàn lǐ yíng yè zhí zhào.
    Before opening a store, you must first obtain a business license.
  • 营业执照。
    Guì tái hòu miàn guà zhe yì zhāng yíng yè zhí zhào.
    There is a business license hanging behind the counter.

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.

营业business operation
营yíngoperate业yèbusiness
动宾Verb + object
执照license
执zhíhold照zhàocertificate
动宾Verb + object

The 执照 is for 营业, naming an official business license.

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 營; 营 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宮宮gōngpalace
Sound part声符shēngfú
熒
熒yíng營yíng
Same sound today

The traditional form 營 pairs 宮 (palace) with 熒 as a sound part, depicting a person working all night with a light on his house; the simplified 营 is a later abbreviation.

Open 营 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 業; 业 is its simplified writing.

  • 丵丵zhuóchisel
  • 大大dàperson; big

The traditional 業 is explained as a picture of a beam from which bells and chimes hang, or as a person lifting that beam. The simplified 业 is a shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 业 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 執; 执 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔criminal / handcuffs
  • 丮丮jǐhand

The traditional form 執 shows 㚔, a handcuffed criminal, with 丮, a hand, giving the idea of arrest. The simplified 执 is a later shorthand, so its current parts are not the original pieces.

Open 执 →

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
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
昭
昭zhāo照zhào
Same sound today

照 uses 灬, a bottom form of 火 (fire), plus 昭 for the sound.

Open 照 →

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