<blockquote>
<p>Is the first 照 of the example the short of 照相? Though 照相照片 (take a picture picture) sounds redundant...</p>
</blockquote>
<p>No, 照 is not short of 照相, so  照相照片 is wrong.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Or 照照片 is just another way to express 照相? This also seems strange to
me as 照 is duplicated</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, 照照片 is fine because 照片 is a noun meaning <em>photo</em>  and 照 is a verb meaning <em>take;shoot;photogragh</em>.</p>
<p>照相 can be taken as the shorthand of 照相片.  相片 is a noun meaning <em>照片;photo</em>. So, both 照照片 and 照相片 are correct.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-17T23:10:30.160Z
Maybe etymologily 照片 means *photo* because 照 means *reflected / illuminated* and 片 *film*; as analogical cameras had to *develop the film*. So 照照片 could be understood as *to illuminate (shoot) the illuminating film*.
Puco4
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-17T21:52:03.440Z
2020-07-17T21:52:03.440Z
dan
<p>I would say that 照相 is a noun, and should be interpreted as the action to take a picture: 我們去照相 （We go to take pictures.）In this context, you can use 拍照 in lieu of 照相。And it can be separated as a verb and a noun: 我<strong>拍</strong>了几张<strong>照</strong> or 我<strong>照</strong>了几张<strong>相</strong>。</p>
<p>To summarize:</p>
<ul>
<li>照片 = (noun) photo</li>
<li>照相、拍照 = (noun) the action to take pictures</li>
<li>我<strong>照</strong>了几张<strong>相</strong>、我<strong>拍</strong>了几张<strong>照</strong>
<ul>
<li>照、拍 = (verb) to take a picture</li>
<li>相、照 = (noun) photo</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Furthermore, when the context is clear enough (i.e. talking about taking pictures), you can use independently 照/拍 as a verb:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你照/拍了嗎？ = 你拍照/照相了嗎？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Beware that 照/拍 alone have different meanings, that's why the context should be clear enough to use them alone.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-17T20:53:41.143Z
2020-07-17T21:00:18.120Z
2020-07-17T21:00:18.120Z
Firmin Martin
<p>I am having some confusion about 照相 and 照片. In my Chinese lesson they introduced them:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>照片</p>
<p>Zhào piàn</p>
<p>(noun) photo</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>照相</p>
<p>Zhào xiàng</p>
<p>(verb) to take a picture</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They also showed this <em>example</em>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我<strong>照</strong>了几百张<strong>照片</strong>。</p>
<p>I took several hundreds of photos.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Question:</strong></p>
<p>Is the first 照 of the example the short of 照相? Though 照相照片 (<em>take a picture picture</em>) sounds redundant...</p>
<p>Or 照照片 is just another way to express 照相? This also seems strange to me as 照 is duplicated.</p>
<hr />
<p>I tried to understand the words by the characters (from <a href="https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Yabla</a>):</p>
<ul>
<li>照: to illuminate, to reflect</li>
<li>片: slice, film</li>
<li>相: appearance, portrait, picture</li>
</ul>
<p>This confuses me because both 片 and 相 have similar meanings.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-18T01:37:17.383Z
Heuristically, 照 is the transitive version, expecting (in the sense of "take [a picture]") an object, possibly delayed; 照相 is the intransitive version, already incorporating the implied object within the word itself.
Brian Tung
<word-choice><characters><difference><etymology><word>
Understanding 照相 and 照片
# Understanding 照相 and 照片

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-17)

I am having some confusion about 照相 and 照片. In my Chinese lesson they introduced them:

> 照片
>
> Zhào piàn
>
> (noun) photo

> 照相
>
> Zhào xiàng
>
> (verb) to take a picture

They also showed this *example*:

> 我**照**了几百张**照片**。
>
> I took several hundreds of photos.

**Question:**

Is the first 照 of the example the short of 照相? Though 照相照片 (*take a picture picture*) sounds redundant...

Or 照照片 is just another way to express 照相? This also seems strange to me as 照 is duplicated.

---

I tried to understand the words by the characters (from [Yabla](https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php)):

* 照: to illuminate, to reflect
* 片: slice, film
* 相: appearance, portrait, picture

This confuses me because both 片 and 相 have similar meanings.

**Tags:** word-choice, characters, difference, etymology, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Heuristically, 照 is the transitive version, expecting (in the sense of "take [a picture]") an object, possibly delayed; 照相 is the intransitive version, already incorporating the implied object within the word itself.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-07-17. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

> Is the first 照 of the example the short of 照相? Though 照相照片 (take a picture picture) sounds redundant...

No, 照 is not short of 照相, so 照相照片 is wrong.

> Or 照照片 is just another way to express 照相? This also seems strange to
> me as 照 is duplicated

Yes, 照照片 is fine because 照片 is a noun meaning *photo* and 照 is a verb meaning *take;shoot;photogragh*.

照相 can be taken as the shorthand of 照相片. 相片 is a noun meaning *照片;photo*. So, both 照照片 and 照相片 are correct.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Maybe etymologily 照片 means *photo* because 照 means *reflected / illuminated* and 片 *film*; as analogical cameras had to *develop the film*. So 照照片 could be understood as *to illuminate (shoot) the illuminating film*.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-07-17. Score: 1

I would say that 照相 is a noun, and should be interpreted as the action to take a picture: 我們去照相 （We go to take pictures.）In this context, you can use 拍照 in lieu of 照相。And it can be separated as a verb and a noun: 我**拍**了几张**照** or 我**照**了几张**相**。

To summarize:

* 照片 = (noun) photo
* 照相、拍照 = (noun) the action to take pictures
* 我**照**了几张**相**、我**拍**了几张**照**
  + 照、拍 = (verb) to take a picture
  + 相、照 = (noun) photo

Furthermore, when the context is clear enough (i.e. talking about taking pictures), you can use independently 照/拍 as a verb:

> 你照/拍了嗎？ = 你拍照/照相了嗎？

Beware that 照/拍 alone have different meanings, that's why the context should be clear enough to use them alone.


---

