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变色龙 (biàn sè lóng) — (zoology) chameleon; (figurative) a fickle, opportunistic person; a political turncoat

Definition

Literally 'color-changing dragon', 变色龙 is the chameleon — the lizard famous for shifting color. Figuratively, it labels a person who changes立场 to suit the situation, especially a political turncoat.

noun
(zoology) chameleon(figurative) a fickleopportunistic persona political turncoat
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 变色龙，。
    Dòng wù yuán lǐ yǒu yì zhī biàn sè lóng, tā de yán sè biàn de hěn kuài.
    There is a chameleon in the zoo; its color changes very quickly.
  • 变色龙，，。
    Nà wèi zhèng kè shì gè biàn sè lóng, jīn tiān zhī chí zhè ge zhèng cè, míng tiān yòu fǎn duì.
    That politician is a chameleon — today he supports this policy, tomorrow he opposes it.
  • ，变色龙，。
    Zài shāng chǎng shàng, tā xiàng yì zhī biàn sè lóng, zǒng shì gēn jù lì yì gǎi biàn lì chǎng.
    In the business world, he is like a chameleon, always changing his position based on profit.

Origin

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.

变色change color
变biànchange色sècolor
动宾Verb + object
龙lóngdragon

A 龙 that can 变 its 色, color, names a chameleon.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 變; 变 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌變biàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 變 uses 䜌 as a sound part and 攴 as a meaning part.

Open 变 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 龍; 龙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 龍 originally drew a sacred creature with a large mouth and a snake-like body; the simplified 龙 is the form written here.

Open 龙 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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