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响尾蛇 (xiǎng wěi shé) — rattlesnake

Definition

noun
rattlesnake
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 响尾蛇。
    Shā mò lǐ yǒu yì zhǒng wēi xiǎn de shé jiào xiǎng wěi shé.
    There is a dangerous snake in the desert called the rattlesnake.
  • 响尾蛇。
    Tā zài dòng wù yuán kàn dào le yì tiáo xiǎng wěi shé.
    He saw a rattlesnake at the zoo.
  • 响尾蛇。
    xiǎng wěi shé De wěi ba huì fā chū xiǎng shēng.
    The rattlesnake's tail makes a rattling sound.

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.

响尾rattling tail
响xiǎngrattling尾wěitail
偏正Modifier + head
蛇shésnake

响尾 describes a tail that makes a rattling sound, and 蛇 is the snake, naming a rattlesnake.

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 響; 响 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
音音yīnsound
Sound part声符shēngfú
鄉
鄉xiāng響xiǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 響 pairs 音, meaning sound, with 鄉 to give its pronunciation. The simplified 响 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 响 →

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

The form 尾 combines 尸 (person) and 毛 (hair; feather).

Open 尾 →

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
虫虫chóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
它
它tā蛇shé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

蛇 combines 虫 with 它; 它 gives the sound and was also the original form of this character.

Open 蛇 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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