掌纹 (zhǎng wén) — palm print; lines on the palm | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

palm printlines on the palm

Examples

掌纹。
Měi gè rén de zhǎng wén dōu shì dú yī wú èr de.
Everyone's palm print is unique.
掌纹。
Suàn mìng xiān sheng tōng guò guān chá zhǎng wén lái yù cè mìng yùn.
Fortune tellers predict fate by examining palm lines.
掌纹。
Tā shǒu shàng de zhǎng wén fēi cháng qīng xī.
The palm prints on his hands are very clear.

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.

纹wénline or pattern

掌 is palm and 纹 is line or pattern; the lines on the palm form a print.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng掌zhǎng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

It combines 手, meaning hand, with 尚, which gives it a sound close to shàng.

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 紋; 纹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

文

Same sound today

The traditional form 紋 pairs 糸 (thread) with 文 as the sound part, giving the sense of a line of thread; this note is about 紋, not 纹.

Appears in

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