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洋装 (yáng zhuāng) — Western-style clothes, suit; Western-style bookbinding (as opposed to traditional thread binding)

Definition

Literally 'Western-style attire' (洋 = Western/foreign, 装 = clothing). In bookbinding it means Western-style binding as opposed to traditional 线装 (thread binding).

noun
Western-style clothessuitWestern-style bookbinding (as opposed to traditional thread binding)
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 洋装。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn xīn de yáng zhuāng qù cān jiā hūn lǐ.
    He wore a new Western-style suit to attend the wedding.
  • 洋装，。
    Zhè zhǒng shū shì yáng zhuāng, bú shì xiàn zhuāng.
    This kind of book is Western-style bound, not thread-bound.
  • 洋装。
    Zhè jiā diàn zhuān mén mài nán shì yáng zhuāng.
    This store specializes in selling men's Western-style suits.

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.

洋yángforeign/Western
装zhuāngclothing/outfit

Western-style 洋 with clothing 装 names Western-style clothes or binding.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng洋yáng
Same sound today

洋 pairs 氵, the water part, with 羊 to give its sound.

Open 洋 →

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →
Appears in
Clothing

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