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狐步 (hú bù) — foxtrot (dance)

Definition

noun
foxtrot (dance)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 狐步。
    Tā men zài wǔ dǎo bān xué le hú bù.
    They learned the foxtrot in dance class.
  • 狐步。
    hú bù Shì yì zhǒng jīng diǎn de jiāo jì wǔ.
    The foxtrot is a classic ballroom dance.
  • 狐步。
    Tā tiào le yì zhī yōu měi de hú bù.
    She danced a beautiful foxtrot.

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.

狐húfox
步bùstep

狐 means fox and 步 means step, naming the dance by a fox-like smooth step.

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
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
瓜
瓜guā狐hú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

狐 uses 犭, the dog sign, to mark it as an animal, and 瓜 to give the sound.

Open 狐 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

步 uses two 止 (foot) forms, one reversed, to show one foot stepping in front of the other.

Open 步 →
Appears in
Dance & Performance

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