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独有 (dú yǒu) — to possess alone; to be the only one to have

Definition

独有 (verb) means 'to possess alone / be the only one to have' — emphasizes uniqueness of possession, stronger and more formal than 拥有 ('to own/possess').

verb
to possess aloneto be the only one to have

Examples

  • 独有。
    Zhè zhǒng jì shù zhǐ yǒu zhè jiā gōng sī dú yǒu.
    This technology is possessed only by this company.
  • 独有。
    Tā dú yǒu yì zhǒng bié rén wú fǎ mó fǎng de fēng gé.
    He alone possesses a style that others cannot imitate.
  • 独有。
    Zhè ge dǎo yǔ shàng de wù zhǒng shì quán shì jiè dú yǒu de.
    The species on this island are possessed only by the whole world.

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.

独dúalone
有yǒuhave

独 and 有 combine to mean having something alone, with no one else sharing it.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →
Appears in
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