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海蜇 (hǎi zhē) — jellyfish (edible species, often served as a cold dish)

Definition

noun
jellyfish (edible species, often served as a cold dish)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 海蜇。
    Zhè dào liáng bàn hǎi zhē hěn shuǎng kǒu.
    This cold jellyfish salad is very refreshing.
  • 海蜇。
    Wǒ zài hǎi biān cān tīng diǎn le yì pán hǎi zhē.
    I ordered a plate of jellyfish at the seaside restaurant.
  • 海蜇。
    Shì chǎng lǐ mài de hǎi zhē dōu shì chǔ lǐ guò de.
    The jellyfish sold in the market are all pre-processed.

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
蜇zhējellyfish

海 places the creature in the sea, and 蜇 names the jellyfish.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chónginsect; creature
Sound part声符shēngfú
折
折zhé蜇zhē
Same sound today

蜇 uses 虫 to show it is about a small creature, and 折 as the sound part.

Open 蜇 →
Appears in
Fish & Aquatic Life

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