cáifù 财富 [comp: 财 property, fortune + 富 riches] N wealth, fortune
Modification (“modif”): one component modifies the other. For example:
báitiān 白天 [modif: 白 white + 天 day] N daytime
Verb+object (“v+obj”): the word has a verb-and-object relationship. For example:
chànggē 唱歌 [v+obj: 唱 sing + 歌 song] V sing songs, sing
Verb+complementation (“v+compl”): the word has a verb-and-complement relationship, that is,
the first component is a verb and the second one modifies it. For example:
kànjiàn 看见 [v+compl: 看 look + 见 see] V see, get sight of
Suffixation (“suffix”): the word contains a suffix. For example:
bēizi 杯子 [suffix: 杯 cup + 子 nominal suffix] N cup, mug, glass (只 zhī)3.4 Definitions
In most cases English equivalents or near equivalents are given as definitions. For example:
bāngmáng 帮忙 V help, help out
For grammatical words that have no English equivalents, concise explanations are given in
brackets. For example:
de 的 PARTICLE (attached to a word or phrase to indicate that it is an attribute. 的 de is normally
followed by a noun.)
After the definition of a noun, the specific measure word used with the noun is shown, if it is one of
headwords in the dictionary. For example:
diànnǎo 电脑 [modif: 电 electricity + 脑 brain] N computer (台 tái)When no measure word is shown for a noun, you can use the default measure word 个 gè.
The dictionary also show antonyms after the definition of common adjectives and some nouns. For
example:
gāo 高 ADJ tall, high (ANTONYMS 矮 ǎi, 低 dī)3.5 Example Sentences
Words become really meaningful only when used in sentences. A major feature of this dictionary
is the thousands of example sentences that amply illustrate the meaning and usage of words.
Great attention was paid to the composition of the sentences to make sure they are
(1) idiomatic,
(2) communicatively useful, and
(3) within the controlled vocabulary of this dictionary.
These sentences are accompanied by their pinyin and English translations. In some cases a second
translation is provided in brackets to aid comprehension and idiomatic expression.
All this makes this dictionary an essential aid to teaching and learning Chinese.4 GRAMMAR: Main Features