喂奶 (wèi nǎi) — to breastfeed, to nurse (a baby) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

喂奶 is a verb-object phrase meaning to feed a baby milk from the breast (or bottle). It can split: 喂两次奶 ('nurse twice'), unlike a typical verb.

verb

to breastfeedto nurse (a baby)

Examples

喂奶。
Mā ma měi tiān gěi yīng ér wèi nǎi.
The mother breastfeeds the baby every day.
。
Tā měi wǎn yào qǐ lái wèi liǎng cì nǎi.
She has to get up twice every night to nurse.
喂奶，。
Yī shēng jiàn yì jīng cháng wèi nǎi, duì bǎo bao hǎo.
The doctor recommends frequent breastfeeding; it's good for the baby.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

'喂' means give food, '奶' means milk or breast, so the word describes feeding a baby milk.

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.

口畏喂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

畏

畏wèi喂wèi

Same sound today

喂 is built from 口 (mouth) on the left and 畏 on the right, which gives the sound.

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

女乃奶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

乃

乃nǎi奶nǎi

Same sound today

奶 combines 女, a woman, and 乃, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Family & Kinship Life Stages & Age

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