摇篮曲 (yáo lán qū) — lullaby | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A lullaby — a gentle song sung to put a baby to sleep, literally 'cradle song'. It pairs naturally with 首 as its measure word and works for both traditional folk songs and composed pieces.

noun

lullaby

Measure word · 首

Examples

摇篮曲。
Mā ma měi tiān wǎn shàng chàng yáo lán qū gěi hái zi tīng.
Mom sings a lullaby to the child every evening.
摇篮曲。
Zhè shǒu yáo lán qū ràng bǎo bao shuì dé hěn xiāng.
This lullaby made the baby sleep soundly.
摇篮曲，。
Tā qīng qīng de chàng zhe yáo lán qū, hái zi màn màn bì shàng le yǎn jing.
She hummed the lullaby softly, and the child slowly closed its eyes.

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.

摇篮cradle

摇yáorock篮lánbasket

偏正Modifier + head

A 曲 for 摇篮 moments, a song sung to lull a baby to sleep.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 籃; 篮 is its simplified writing.

竹監籃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

監

監jiān籃lán

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

The traditional form 籃 puts 竹 (bamboo) over 監, which gives the sound; the simplified 篮 is a later shorthand.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

曲 is drawn as a bent object, matching the meaning 'bend'.

Appears in

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