怀表 (huái biǎo) — pocket watch | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

pocket watch

Measure word · 块

怀表，。
Yé ye yǒu yí kuài lǎo huái biǎo, shì tā fù qīn chuán xià lái de.
Grandpa has an old pocket watch that was handed down from his father.
怀表。
Tā jīng cháng bǎ huái biǎo fàng zài xī zhuāng kǒu dài lǐ.
He often puts the pocket watch in his suit pocket.
怀表，。
Zhè zhī huái biǎo de liàn zi duàn le, xū yào xiū yí xià.
The chain of this pocket watch is broken and needs to be repaired.

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.

怀huáipocket or bosom

怀 means pocket or bosom, and 表 means watch; together they describe a pocket watch.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 懷; 怀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

褱

褱huái懷huái

Same sound today

The traditional form 懷 uses 心 (heart) to show longing and 褱 for the sound; the simplified 怀 is a later shorthand.

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

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

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