找乐 (zhǎo lè) — to have fun, to amuse oneself, to seek entertai…

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning 'to have fun / seek a bit of pleasure' (singing karaoke, playing chess, etc.). Often split as 找点儿乐 in speech.

verb

to have funto amuse oneselfto seek entertainment

OK找乐。
Zhōu mò wǒ men yì qǐ qù chàng kǎ lā OK zhǎo lè ba.
Let's go sing karaoke this weekend and have some fun.
，。
Tā gōng zuò tài lèi, jiù xiǎng zhǎo diǎn r lè.
He's too tired from work, so he just wants to find a little fun.
找乐。
Lǎo nián rén xǐ huan zài gōng yuán lǐ xià qí zhǎo lè.
Elderly people enjoy playing chess in the park and having fun.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

“找” (seek) and “乐” (fun) combine to mean looking for amusement.

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.

扌戈找

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

戈

戈gē找zhǎo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

找 pairs 扌 (hand) with 戈 as a sound part. The idea that it shows a hand looking for a halberd is only a memory trick.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Appears in