古玩 (gǔ wán) — antique; curio | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

antiquecurio

Measure word · 件

古玩。
Tā xǐ huan shōu cáng gǔ wán.
He likes collecting antiques.
古玩。
Zhè ge gǔ wán shì míng cháo de.
This antique is from the Ming dynasty.
古玩。
Zhōu mò wǒ men qù gǔ wán shì chǎng guàng guàng.
On weekends we go to the antique market to browse.

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.

古gǔancient

玩wánplaything

古 means ancient, and 玩 refers to playthings or curios, giving antique curios.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

元

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

玩 pairs 玉 (jade) with 元 (yuán) for sound. The jade part points to toys made of jade.

Appears in