垫肩 (diàn jiān) — shoulder pad (in clothing)

Definition

noun

shoulder pad (in clothing)

Measure word · 副

垫肩。
Zhè jiàn xī zhuāng xū yào jiā diàn jiān cái néng gèng hé shēn.
This suit needs shoulder pads to fit better.
垫肩，。
Tā xǐ huan chuān yǒu diàn jiān de lián yī qún, xiǎn de jiān bǎng gèng tǐng bá.
She likes wearing dresses with shoulder pads because they make her shoulders look more upright.
垫肩。
Cái feng shī fu bǎ diàn jiān fèng zài yī fu lǐ miàn.
The tailor sewed the shoulder pads inside the clothes.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

垫 (to pad) and 肩 (shoulder) combine to mean a pad for the shoulder.

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 墊; 垫 is its simplified writing.

執土墊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

執

執zhí墊diàn

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

The traditional form 墊 pairs 土, showing earth, with 執, providing the sound; this is about 墊, not the simplified 垫.

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

肩 combines a shoulder shape with a flesh part to show a shoulder.