画家 (huà jiā) — painter (artist) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

painter (artist)

Measure word · 个

画家。
Wǒ zhǎng dà xiǎng dāng yí gè huà jiā.
I want to be a painter when I grow up.
画家。
Zhè wèi huà jiā huà le yì zhāng hěn měi dì huà.
This painter painted a very beautiful painting.
画家。
Wǒ hěn xǐ huan zhè wèi huà jiā de zuò pǐn.
I really like this painter's works.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

画huàpainting

A 画家 is someone associated with 画; 家 points to the person, and 画 names painting.

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 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùbrush

Sound part声符shēngfú

規

規guī畫huà

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

The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.

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

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢑓

𢑓𢑓家jiā

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

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

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