玩偶 (wán ǒu) — doll; toy figurine | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

dolltoy figurine

Measure word · 个

玩偶。
Tā gěi nǚ ér mǎi le yí gè wán ǒu.
She bought a doll for her daughter.
玩偶。
Nà ge wán ǒu zuò dé fēi cháng jīng zhì.
That doll is made very exquisitely.
玩偶。
Wǒ xiǎo shí hou hěn xǐ huan shōu cáng wán ǒu.
I really liked collecting dolls when I was young.

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.

偶ǒufigurine

“玩” (for playing) describes “偶” (a small figure), yielding a doll.

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

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻禺偶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

禺

禺yú偶ǒu

Same sound today

偶 pairs 亻 (person) with 禺 for the sound. The evidence describes it as a statue of a person, an idol.

Appears in