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玩乐 (wán lè) — to have fun, to enjoy oneself (formal/literary)

Definition

玩乐 is a literary/elevated 'to enjoy oneself, have fun' — more formal than the everyday 玩 (wán). Often appears in set phrases or written prose rather than casual speech.

verb
to have funto enjoy oneself (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 玩乐。
    Zhōu mò tā xǐ huan hé péng you yì qǐ wán lè.
    On weekends he likes to have fun with friends.
  • ，玩乐。
    Rén shēng duǎn zàn, yìng jí shí wán lè.
    Life is short, so one should seize the time to enjoy oneself.
  • 玩乐。
    Tā men zài dù jià cūn jìn qíng wán lè.
    They thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the resort.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

玩wánplay
乐lèenjoy

玩 means to play and 乐 means to enjoy; together they describe playing around and having fun.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán玩wán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

玩 pairs 玉 (jade) with 元 (yuán) for sound. The jade part points to toys made of jade.

Open 玩 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Open 乐 →
Appears in
Hobbies & Pastimes

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