奶子 (nǎi zi) — (dialectal) milk; (vulgar) breasts; (archaic) w… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial noun with three distinct senses: '(dialectal) milk', '(vulgar) breasts', and '(archaic) wet nurse'. Because of the vulgar sense, prefer 牛奶 for milk in standard modern Chinese.

noun

(dialectal) milk(vulgar) breasts(archaic) wet nurse

Examples

奶子。
Zhè bēi nǎi zi hěn xiāng.
This glass of milk is very fragrant.
奶子。
Mǔ niú de nǎi zi hěn dà.
The cow's udder is very big.
奶子。
Tā nián qīng shí zuò guò nǎi zi.
She worked as a wet nurse when she was young.

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.

奶nǎimilk or breast

奶 refers to milk or breast, and 子 gives the sense of a thing.

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.

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.

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.

Appears in

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