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通行证 (tōng xíng zhèng) — (noun) travel pass, permit (for crossing borders, entering restricted areas, etc.); (noun) qualification certificate, ticket (allowing access to a certain field or opportunity)

Definition

noun
travel passpermit (for crossing borders, entering restricted areas, etc.)qualification certificateticket (allowing access to a certain field or opportunity)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 通行证。
    Qù xiāng gǎng xū yào bàn lǐ tōng xíng zhèng.
    You need to get a travel pass to go to Hong Kong.
  • 通行证。
    Xué lì shì zhí chǎng de yì zhāng tōng xíng zhèng.
    Education is a ticket to the workplace.
  • 通行证，。
    Méi yǒu tōng xíng zhèng, nǐ bù néng jìn rù zhè ge qū yù.
    Without a pass, you cannot enter this area.

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.

通行passage
通tōngpass through行xínggo
联合Coordinate
证zhèngcertificate

‘通’ and ‘行’ together mean passage, and ‘证’ is a certificate, so they denote a pass for traveling.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
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.

Open 证 →
Appears in
Travel & Tourism

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