证件 (zhèng jiàn) — identification documents, ID, credentials | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

证件 is a general term for ID documents you carry (ID card, passport, license). Unlike 证书 (a certificate of achievement) or 证明 (a written proof), it refers specifically to credentials used for identification.

noun

identification documentsIDcredentials

Measure word · 个

Examples

证件。
Qǐng chū shì nín de zhèng jiàn hé chē piào.
Please show your ID and ticket.
证件。
Chū mén qián jiǎn chá yí xià zhèng jiàn.
Check your ID before going out.
证件，。
Wǒ de zhèng jiàn bú jiàn le, yào zài bàn yí gè.
My ID is missing, I need to get a new one.

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.

证zhèngcertificate

证 (certificate) and 件 (item) combine to mean papers or credentials.

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 證; 证 is its simplified writing.

言登證

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

登

登dēng證zhèng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 證 pairs 言, a words/speech part, with 登 as a sound clue; the simplified 证 is a later shorthand.

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

人人rénman
牛牛niúcow

件 is made of 人, 'man', and 牛, 'cow'.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Everyday Objects 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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