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块儿 (kuài ér) — piece, chunk, lump (of something solid); (colloquial) place, area, location (often as suffix 这∼, 那∼, 哪∼); (colloquial, Northern) build, physique (of a person)

Definition

Colloquial diminutive of 块, used both as a measure word chunk and (after 这/那/哪) as a casual 'place, area'. As a noun it also means 'build, physique' in Northern speech.

noun
piecechunklump (of something solid)(colloquial) placearealocation (often as suffix 这∼, 那∼, 哪∼)(colloquial, Northern) buildphysique (of a person)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 。
    Tā dì gěi wǒ yí kuài r miàn bāo.
    He handed me a piece of bread.
  • ？
    Nǐ zhù nǎ kuài r?
    Which area do you live in?
  • ，。
    Nà xiǎo huǒ zi kuài r zhēn dà, yí kàn jiù cháng yùn dòng.
    That young guy has a really big build — you can tell he exercises often.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

块kuàipiece
儿érer

块 supplies the sense of a piece or chunk, while 儿 gives the familiar spoken form 块儿.

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 塊; 块 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth; dust
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ塊kuài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 塊 pairs 土 (earth; dust) with 鬼 as a sound part to show a clod of dirt. The simplified 块 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 块 →

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
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