浣熊 (huàn xióng) — raccoon | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

raccoon

Measure word · 只

Examples

浣熊。
Wǒ zài dòng wù yuán kàn dào yì zhī huàn xióng.
I saw a raccoon at the zoo.
浣熊。
huàn xióng Xǐ huan zài hé biān xǐ shí wù.
Raccoons like to wash food by the river.
浣熊。
Nà zhī huàn xióng de wěi ba shàng yǒu hēi sè tiáo wén.
That raccoon has black stripes on its tail.

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.

“浣” gives washing and “熊” gives bear, naming a raccoon as a washing bear.

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

完

完wán浣huàn

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

浣 pairs 水 (water) with 完, which gives the sound.

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

能能néngbear

Sound part声符shēngfú

炎

炎yán熊xióng

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

熊 is made of 能 and 炎. It originally represented a word for raging flame; when 能 was borrowed for another word, 熊 came to write 'bear'.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals

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