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In Chinese, an airport is a "airplane field" and a airplane is a compound of the word for "wood" and "table.
by robjan 10y ago
In Chinese, an airport is a "airplane field" and a airplane is a compound of the word for "wood" and "table.
- godarderik 10y agoWhat? An airplane is 飞机，where 飞 = flying and 机 = machine
- mrob 10y agoI think the confusion is because of simplified vs. traditional characters. 机 is made from 木 (wood) and 几 (table) radicals, and in Japanese it really does mean desk/table. But in Chinese it's the simplified form of 機 (machine). The 几 is just a substitute for some more complicated strokes, and 木 is just for the sound.
- Gigablah 10y agoEven then the character by itself doesn't mean "airplane", you need to pair it with 飞.