wèi xīng
satellite; lune
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卫星在太空中运行。
Wèixīng zài tàikōng zhōng yùnxíng.
The satellite is operating in space.
卫星可以帮助我们了解地球。
Wèixīng kěyǐ bāngzhù wǒmen liǎojiě dìqiú.
Satellites can help us understand the Earth.
卫星可以帮助我们进行通信。
Wèixīng kěyǐ bāngzhù wǒmen jìnxíng tōngxìn.
Satellites can help us communicate.
人造卫星 (rénzào wèixīng)
artificial satellite
太空卫星 (tàikōng wèixīng)
space satellite
行星 (xīngxīng)
planet
恒星 (héngxīng)
star
The Chinese word 卫星 (wèixīng) for "satellite" is a compound of two characters: 卫 (wèi), meaning "guard" or "protect", and 星 (xīng), meaning "star". The term "satellite" was first used in English in the 17th century to refer to a small moon orbiting a planet. The Chinese word 卫星 was coined in the early 20th century to translate the English term. The character 卫 was chosen because satellites orbit the Earth and protect it from space debris. The character 星 was chosen because satellites are celestial bodies like stars.
