樟脑 (zhāng nǎo) — camphor

Definition

noun
camphor

Examples

  • 樟脑。
    Zhè zhǒng zhāng nǎo de qì wèi hěn cì bí.
    This kind of camphor has a strong, pungent smell.
  • 樟脑。
    zhāng nǎo Cháng yòng lái zuò shā chóng yào.
    Camphor is often used to make insecticide.
  • 樟脑。
    Wǒ zài yào diàn mǎi le yì píng zhāng nǎo.
    I bought a bottle of camphor at the pharmacy.

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.

樟zhāngcamphor tree
脑nǎobrain

樟 names the camphor tree, and 脑 suggests the brain-like white crystal from it.

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
章
章zhāng樟zhāng
Same sound today

樟 uses 木 (tree) to show it is a kind of tree, and 章 gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

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