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孙子 (sūn zi) — grandson

Definition

Your son's son. Pairs with 孙女 (granddaughter); use 孙子 for a male grandchild, not female. 子女 means children generally, 子孙 means all descendants across generations.

noun
grandson
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 孙子。
    Nǎi nai hěn téng tā de sūn zi.
    Grandma dotes on her grandson.
  • 孙子。
    sūn zi Jīn nián shàng xiǎo xué le.
    The grandson started elementary school this year.
  • 孙子。
    Bà ba dài sūn zi qù yóu yǒng.
    Dad takes his grandson swimming.

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.

孙sūngrandchild
子zǐ

孙 points to a grandchild, and 子 gives the familiar form for a grandson.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 孫; 孙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 孫 pairs 子 (son) with 系 (continue), showing a line of descendants continuing. The simplified 孙 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 孙 →

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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