猪脚 (zhū jiǎ) — pig's feet (food)

Definition

noun
pig's feet (food)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 猪脚，。
    Mā ma dùn le yì guō zhū jiǎ, wèi dào hěn hǎo.
    Mom stewed a pot of pig's feet, and they taste great.
  • 猪脚。
    Zhè jiā diàn de zhū jiǎ fēi cháng yǒu míng.
    This restaurant's pig's feet are very famous.
  • 猪脚，。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī hóng shāo zhū jiǎ, tè bié xiāng.
    I like eating braised pig's feet — they're especially fragrant.

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.

猪zhūpig
脚jiǎofoot

猪 names the animal and 脚 its foot, so 猪脚 gives pig's feet as food.

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
者
者zhě猪zhū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

猪 combines 犭, a dog sign, with 者 as a sound part.

Open 猪 →

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 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →

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