卷发 (juǎn fà) — curly or wavy hair | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

curly or wavy hair

Measure word · 头

卷发。
Tā yǒu yì tóu piào liang de juǎn fà.
She has beautiful curly hair.
卷发。
Tā de juǎn fà shì tiān shēng de.
Her curly hair is natural.
卷发。
Zhè jiā lǐ fà diàn zhuān mén zuò juǎn fà.
This barbershop specializes in curly hair.

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.

卷 gives the idea of curling and 发 means hair; together they mean curled hair.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

卩卩jiékneeling person

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢍏

𢍏𢍏卷juàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 卷, 卩 shows a kneeling person, while 𢍏 gives the sound and may also suggest bending or rolling, as in a reel of books.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

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