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预备队 (yù bèi duì) — reserve force, reserves

Definition

noun
reserve forcereserves
Measure word · 支

Examples

  • 预备队。
    Jūn duì lǐ de yù bèi duì suí shí zhǔn bèi xíng dòng.
    The reserve forces in the military are ready to act at any time.
  • 预备队。
    Jiào liàn jué dìng ràng yù bèi duì shàng chǎng tì huàn zhǔ lì duì yuán.
    The coach decided to let the reserves take the field to replace the starters.
  • ，预备队。
    Zài zhè cì yǎn xí zhōng, yù bèi duì zhǔ yào fù zé hòu qín zhī yuán.
    In this exercise, the reserves were mainly responsible for logistical support.

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.

预备prepare in advance
预yùbeforehand备bèiprepare
偏正Modifier + head
队duìforce

预备 means to prepare in advance and 队 means a group or force; together they denote a force held in reserve.

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 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ預yù
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Open 预 →

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 備; 备 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 備 shows a person carrying a quiver, matching the meaning 'ready; prepared'; the simplified 备 is a later abbreviation.

Open 备 →

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
Military & Defense

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