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认领 (rèn lǐng) — to claim (a lost or found item); to adopt (a child)

Definition

认领 means to formally 'claim' something (usually lost/found at a 失物招领处) or to 'adopt' a child, especially an illegitimate one. As a verb it takes a direct object like 钱包 or 孤儿.

verb
to claim (a lost or found item)to adopt (a child)

Examples

  • 认领。
    Wǒ zài shī wù zhāo lǐng chù rèn lǐng le wǒ de qián bāo.
    I claimed my wallet at the lost and found office.
  • 认领。
    Tā men jué dìng rèn lǐng yí gè gū ér.
    They decided to adopt an orphan.
  • 认领。
    Tā qù jǐng chá jú rèn lǐng diū shī de hù zhào.
    She went to the police station to claim her lost passport.

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.

认rènrecognize
领lǐngreceive

认 means recognize, and 领 means receive; 认领 is receiving something by recognizing it.

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
讠Written in full as言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén认rèn
Same sound today

The left part 讠 shows speech, and the right part 人 gives the sound.

Open 认 →

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 領; 领 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng領lǐng
Same sound today

The traditional form 領 has 令 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; the simplified 领 is a later shorthand.

Open 领 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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