捕鼠器 (bǔ shǔ qì) — mousetrap

Definition

noun
mousetrap
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 捕鼠器，。
    Chú fáng lǐ yǒu gè bǔ shǔ qì, xiǎo xīn bié pèng dào.
    There's a mousetrap in the kitchen; be careful not to touch it.
  • 捕鼠器。
    Tā zài chāo shì mǎi le yí gè xīn de bǔ shǔ qì.
    He bought a new mousetrap at the supermarket.
  • 捕鼠器，。
    Zhè ge bǔ shǔ qì shè jì dé hěn qiǎo miào, lǎo shǔ yí pèng jiù guān shàng le.
    This mousetrap is cleverly designed; as soon as a mouse touches it, it snaps shut.

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.

捕鼠catch rats
捕bǔcatch鼠shǔrat
动宾Verb + object
器qìdevice

捕鼠 means catch rats, and 器 names the device.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ捕bǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

捕 uses 扌 (a hand, from 手) to show catching, and 甫 for the sound.

Open 捕 →

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

The shape of 鼠 pictures a rat: the upper part looks like an open mouth with teeth, while the lower part shows two feet on the left and a tail on the right.

Open 鼠 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →

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