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套子 (tào zi) — sheath, case, cover (for objects); cliché, formulaic phrase; padding, wadding

Definition

套子 (tàozi) covers two main ideas: a physical cover/sheath for an object, and a figurative "formula" — a stale phrase or worn-out pattern of thought. The sense depends on context (knife vs speech).

noun
sheathcasecover (for objects)clichéformulaic phrasepaddingwadding
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 套子，。
    Zhè bǎ dāo méi yǒu tào zi, yào xiǎo xīn.
    This knife doesn't have a sheath — be careful.
  • 套子，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng quán shì lǎo tào zi, méi shén me xīn yì.
    His speech was full of old clichés; there was nothing original.
  • 套子，。
    Zhè jiàn mián yī de tào zi hěn hòu, chuān qǐ lái hěn nuǎn huo.
    This cotton-padded coat has thick padding, so it's very warm to wear.

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.

套tàocover
子zǐ

套 means cover, and 子 makes it refer to a concrete object.

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.

Open 套 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
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