套头衫 (tào tóu shān) — pullover; pullover sweater | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

pulloverpullover sweater

Measure word · 件

Examples

套头衫。
Zhè jiàn tào tóu shān de yán sè hěn hǎo kàn.
The color of this pullover is very nice.
套头衫。
Dōng tiān wǒ xǐ huan chuān tào tóu shān chū mén.
In winter I like to wear a pullover when going out.
套头衫。
Tā mǎi le yí jiàn bái sè de tào tóu shān.
He bought a white pullover.

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.

套头put over the head

套tàoput over头tóuhead

动宾Verb + object

套头衫 is a 衫 (garment) meant to be 套 (put) over the 头 (head).

Characters in this word

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

大大dàlarge
長長chánglong

套 is made from 大 (large) and 長 (long), originally for something long, with some reference to hair; it later came to mean a cover or a linked group.

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

彡

彡shān衫shān

Same sound today

衫 uses 衣 to show it is a garment and 彡 to give the sound.

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