部队 (bù duì) — armed forces, troops, military unit

Definition

部队 emphasizes a specific military unit (a regiment, brigade, etc.) rather than the whole force. Contrast with 军队, which means the armed forces as a whole, and 兵, which refers to individual soldiers or personnel.

noun
armed forcestroopsmilitary unit
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 部队。
    Zhè zhī bù duì bèi pài qù zhí xíng jǐn jí rèn wu.
    This unit was sent to carry out an urgent mission.
  • 部队。
    Tā zài zhè zhī bù duì fú yì le èr shí nián.
    He served in this army for twenty years.
  • 部队。
    Zhè ge bù duì de jì lǜ fēi cháng yán gé.
    This military unit's discipline is very strict.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

部bùunit
队duìtroop

部 and 队 both refer to an organized unit; together they mean troops or a military unit.

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
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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 隊; 队 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒸
㒸㒸隊duì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隊 has 阜 as the meaning part and 㒸 as the sound part.

Open 队 →
Appears in
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