充电器 (充電器 in traditional form – chōngdiànqì) means “charger” in Chinese, and like 充电宝, its structure reflects the function of this device by combining the meanings of its individual characters.

Here’s a breakdown:

• 充 (chōng): As we’ve seen before, this character means “to fill” or “to charge.” It originally depicted a vessel filled to the brim, symbolizing fullness or abundance. Here, it refers to the act of filling a device with electrical energy.
• 电 (電 in traditional form – diàn): This character means “electricity” or “electrical.” It hints at the type of energy the device provides.
• 器 (qì): This character means “tool,” “utensil,” or “device.” It originally depicted a container or vessel, possibly made from animal materials. This component clarifies that 充电器 refers to a physical object with a specific function.

Combining these elements, 充电器 literally means “electric fill tool” or “tool for filling with electricity.” This accurately describes the function of a charger, which is a device that supplies electrical power to charge batteries or electronic devices.

The term 充电器 emerged as electronic devices became more common in the 20th century. It effectively combines existing characters to represent this technology, highlighting its purpose of providing electrical power.

充电器 is used in various contexts related to electronics and charging:

• 手机充电器 (shǒujī chōngdiànqì): Mobile phone charger
• 笔记本电脑充电器 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo chōngdiànqì): Laptop charger
• 无线充电器 (wúxiàn chōngdiànqì): Wireless charger

By understanding the original meaning of 充电器, we can appreciate how the character’s structure reflects the function of this device. It also highlights the increasing importance of electricity and charging technology in our modern world.