方形 (fāng xíng) — square (shape); rectangle | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

square (shape)rectangle

Examples

方形。
Zhè ge fāng xíng de zhuō zi shì hé fàng zài jiǎo luò.
This square table fits well in the corner.
方形。
Huà yí gè fāng xíng de tú àn.
Draw a square pattern.
方形。
Tā men zhù de fáng jiān shì fāng xíng de.
The room they live in is square-shaped.

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.

'方' gives square, and '形' is the shape it forms.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彡彡shān

Sound part声符shēngfú

井

井jǐng形xíng

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

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Appears in

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