洞口 (Dòng kǒu) — entrance to a cave | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Specifically the mouth or opening of a cave. Distinct from 入口, which is the more general word for any entrance (a building, a room, a gate).

noun

entrance to a cave

Measure word · 个

Examples

洞口。
Tā men fā xiàn le yí gè Dòng kǒu.
They discovered an entrance to a cave.
洞口，。
Zhè ge Dòng kǒu hěn xiǎo, zhǐ néng yí gè rén jìn qù.
This cave entrance is very small, only one person can go in.
洞口。
Cóng Dòng kǒu chuī chū lái de fēng hěn liáng.
The wind blowing out from the cave entrance is very cool.

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.

洞 is cave and 口 is mouth, so the word names the mouth of a cave.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

同

同tóng洞dòng

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

洞 combines 水 (water) with 同, which gives the sound tóng.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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