间谍网 (jiàn dié wǎng) — espionage network, spy network

Definition

noun
espionage networkspy network

Examples

  • 间谍网。
    Zhè ge jiàn dié wǎng de huó dòng fàn wéi fù gài le duō gè guó jiā.
    This espionage network's activities cover multiple countries.
  • 间谍网。
    Jǐng fāng chéng gōng pò huò le yí gè dà xíng jiàn dié wǎng.
    The police successfully cracked a large spy network.
  • 间谍网。
    Zhè ge jiàn dié wǎng de chéng yuán shēn fèn zhì jīn réng shì mì mì.
    The identities of members of this espionage network are still secret to this day.

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.

间谍spy
间jiāninfiltrate谍diéspy
联合Side by side

间谍 (spy) describes the kind of 网 (net), giving a network of spies.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 谍 →

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 網; 网 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
罔
罔wǎng網wǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 網 pairs 糸 (rope) with 罔 to give the sound; the simplified 网 is a later shorthand.

Open 网 →

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