孟加拉虎 (mèng jiā lā hǔ) — Bengal tiger

Definition

noun
Bengal tiger
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 孟加拉虎。
    mèng jiā lā hǔ Shēng huó zài yìn dù hé mèng jiā lā guó de sēn lín zhōng.
    Bengal tigers live in the forests of India and Bangladesh.
  • 孟加拉虎。
    Zhè zhǒng mèng jiā lā hǔ de pí máo shàng yǒu dú tè de hēi sè tiáo wén.
    This kind of Bengal tiger has unique black stripes on its fur.
  • 孟加拉虎。
    Bǎo hù mèng jiā lā hǔ de qī xī dì shì yě shēng dòng wù bǎo hù de zhòng yào rèn wu.
    Protecting the habitat of Bengal tigers is an important task in wildlife conservation.

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.

孟加拉
孟mèng加jiā拉lā
音译Transliteration
虎hǔtiger

孟加拉 spells Bengal, and 虎 means tiger; 孟, 加, 拉 carry no meaning here.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐchild; son
Sound part声符shēngfú
皿
皿mǐn孟mèng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

孟 uses 子 (child; son) for the idea of a child or son, and 皿 gives the sound.

Open 孟 →

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì拉lā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Open 拉 →

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

虎 originally drew a tiger's head. Its body disappeared, and the legs and tail became the lower part.

Open 虎 →

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