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男童 (nán tóng) — boy, male child

Definition

Literary/formal term for 'boy' (male child). Compared to the everyday 男孩, it sounds more written and is often used in news, reports, or formal contexts.

noun
boymale child
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 男童。
    Nà ge nán tóng zài gōng yuán lǐ wán.
    That boy is playing in the park.
  • 男童。
    Zhè ge nán tóng hěn cōng ming.
    This boy is very smart.
  • 男童。
    nán tóng Men zhèng zài shàng kè.
    The boys are having class now.

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.

男nánmale
童tóngchild

男 “male” + 童 “child” refers to a boy.

Characters in this word

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

男 is made from 田, a field, and 力, strength. It shows a man working with strength in a field.

Open 男 →

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

  • 䇂䇂䇂chisel
  • 見見jiànkneeling person with a huge eye

The form 童 comes from a pairing of 䇂 (a chisel) with 見 (a kneeling person with a huge eye), depicting a person having an eye gouged out.

Open 童 →
Appears in
Life Stages & Age

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