海王 (hǎi wáng) — Aquaman (DC Comics superhero); (slang) a player, a person who juggles multiple romantic partners

Definition

Refers to a 'player' who simultaneously dates or flirts with multiple people. The name comes from the DC superhero Aquaman, who rules the sea — a playful metaphor for someone who 'rules' over a wide romantic 'ocean'.

noun
Aquaman (DC Comics superhero)(slang) a player, a person who juggles multiple romantic partners
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 海王，。
    Tā jiù xiàng hǎi wáng yí yàng, tóng shí gēn hǎo jǐ gè rén jiāo wǎng.
    He's like a player, dating several people at the same time.
  • 海王，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng shì hǎi wáng de xù jí, tè xiào fēi cháng zhèn hàn.
    This movie is the sequel to Aquaman, and the special effects are stunning.
  • 海王，。
    Wǎng shàng hěn duō rén mà tā shì hǎi wáng, yīn wèi tā tóng shí liáo le sān gè nǚ shēng.
    Many people online call him a player because he was flirting with three girls at the same time.

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.

海hǎisea
王wángking

“海” means sea and “王” king make a ruler of the sea, later a dominant romantic player.

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

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →

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