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警铃 (jǐng líng) — alarm bell; alarm

Definition

noun
alarm bellalarm
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，警铃，。
    Huǒ zāi fā shēng shí, jǐng líng xiǎng le, dà jiā xùn sù chè lí.
    When the fire broke out, the alarm bell rang and everyone evacuated quickly.
  • 警铃，。
    Tā tīng dào jǐng líng hòu lì kè qǐ chuáng, zhǔn bèi chū jǐng.
    He got up immediately after hearing the alarm bell and prepared to respond to the call.
  • 警铃。
    Zhè dòng lóu měi gè zǒu láng dōu ān zhuāng le jǐng líng.
    This building has alarm bells installed in every corridor.

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.

警jǐngwarning
铃língbell

警 gives warning, and 铃 gives bell, so the word names a warning bell.

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
言言yánspoken language, speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
敬
敬jìng警
Same sound today

警 places 言 (speech) below 敬; 敬 gives the sound.

Open 警 →

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 鈴; 铃 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng鈴líng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鈴 pairs 金 (metal) with 令 as a sound part; the simplified 铃 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 铃 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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