讯号 (xùn hào) — signal | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

signal

Measure word · 个

Examples

讯号。
Shǒu jī méi yǒu xùn hào le.
The phone has no signal.
讯号。
Jiāo tōng xùn hào biàn hóng le.
The traffic signal turned red.
讯号。
Yī shēng shuō zhè xiē zhèng zhuàng shì jí bìng de xùn hào.
The doctor said these symptoms are signals of illness.

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.

讯xùnmessage

讯 specifies the information carried by 号, giving a signal.

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 訊; 讯 is its simplified writing.

言卂訊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

卂

卂xùn訊xùn

Same sound today

The traditional form 訊 combines 言 (words) with 卂 as a sound part; the simplified 讯 is a shorthand.

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

口丂号

口口kǒumouth
丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Appears in

Phones & Telecom

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