刺猬 (cì wèi) — hedgehog | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

hedgehog

Measure word · 只

刺猬。
Zhè zhī cì wèi de cì yòu yìng yòu jiān.
This hedgehog's spines are hard and sharp.
刺猬。
Wǒ men zuó tiān zài gōng yuán lǐ kàn dào yì zhī cì wèi.
We saw a hedgehog in the park yesterday.
刺猬。
cì wèi Zài dōng tiān huì dōng mián.
Hedgehogs hibernate in winter.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

猬wèihedgehog

刺 gives spines, and 猬 gives hedgehog; together they name a hedgehog.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

朿刂刺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刂Written in full as刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

朿

朿cì刺cì

Same sound today

刺 pairs 刂 (knife) with 朿, which gives the sound; the knife part fits actions like stabbing or pricking.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蝟; 猬 is its simplified writing.

虫胃蝟

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

胃

Same sound today

The traditional form 蝟 uses 虫 to show it is a creature and 胃 for the sound; the simplified 猬 is a later shorthand.

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