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海盗 (hǎi dào) — pirate

Definition

A pirate (a person who robs ships at sea). Don't confuse with 盗版, which means 'pirated copy/product' — that's about illegally copying books, software, or media, not people on boats.

noun
pirate
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 海盗？
    Hǎi shàng yǒu hěn duō hǎi dào ma?
    Are there many pirates at sea?
  • 海盗。
    Yǐ qián hǎi dào jīng cháng qiǎng chuán shàng de dōng xī.
    In the past, pirates often robbed things on ships.
  • 海盗。
    Zhè ge diàn yǐng jiǎng de shì hǎi dào de gù shi.
    This movie tells the story of pirates.

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
盗dàorobber

海盗 joins 海 and 盗 to describe a robber of the sea.

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 →

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 盜; 盗 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 盜 combines 㳄 (drooling/craving) with a vessel shape, meaning to covet someone else's possessions and steal; 盗 is the simplified writing of 盜.

Open 盗 →
Appears in
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