Meaning
星球 refers to any celestial body, especially planets. It combines the characters for 'star' (星) and 'ball/sphere' (球) to describe round astronomical objects in space. While it can technically refer to any celestial body, it most commonly means 'planet' in everyday usage.
Usage
Native speakers use 星球 in both scientific and everyday contexts when discussing planets or space. It's more poetic and general than 行星 (xíngxīng), the technical term for planet. Commonly appears in sci-fi, astronomy discussions, and when talking about Earth as a planet (地球是我们的星球). Often used in phrases about exploring or protecting our planet.
Examples
- 01科学家发现了一颗新的星球。.Scientists discovered a new planet.
- 02我们应该保护好我们的星球。.We should protect our planet well.
Characters
Measure words
- 颗一颗星球
- 个一个星球
Common collocations
- 外星球alien planet, extraterrestrial world
- 探索星球to explore planets
- 保护星球to protect the planet
- 其他星球other planets
Origin
The word literally means 'star-ball,' combining the ancient character for star with the character for sphere, reflecting the round shape of celestial bodies observed in the sky.