白雪公主 (Bái xuě gōng zhǔ) — Snow White (fairy tale character)

Definition

noun

Snow White (fairy tale character)

白雪公主。
Xiǎo shí hou mā ma jīng cháng gěi wǒ jiǎng Bái xuě gōng zhǔ de gù shi.
When I was little, my mom often told me the story of Snow White.
，白雪公主。
Tā pí fū hěn bái, dà jiā dōu jiào tā Bái xuě gōng zhǔ.
Her skin is very fair, so everyone calls her Snow White.
白雪公主。
Zhè bù dòng huà piàn jiǎng de Bái xuě gōng zhǔ hé qī gè xiǎo ǎi rén de gù shi.
This cartoon tells the story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs.

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.

白雪white snow

偏正Modifier + head

公主princess

偏正Modifier + head

白雪 gives white snow, and 公主 gives princess, naming the fairy-tale figure Snow White.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

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

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

彗

彗huì雪xuě

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

雪 pairs 雨, showing rain, with 彗, giving the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Appears in