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眼睫毛 (yǎn jié máo) — eyelash

Definition

noun
eyelash
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 眼睫毛。
    Tā de yǎn jié máo yòu cháng yòu qiào.
    Her eyelashes are long and curly.
  • 眼睫毛。
    Huà zhuāng shí jì de tú yǎn jié máo.
    Remember to apply mascara when doing makeup.
  • ，眼睫毛。
    Fēng tài dà, yǎn jié máo bèi chuī jìn yǎn jing lǐ le.
    The wind was so strong that an eyelash blew into my eye.

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.

眼yǎneye
睫毛eyelash
睫jiéeyelash毛máohair
偏正Modifier + head

眼 marks the eye, 睫 specifies the eyelash, and 毛 names hair, giving the fine hairs of the eyelid.

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
疌
疌jié睫jié
Same sound today

The left part 目 is an eye, showing the meaning, while the right part 疌 gives the sound.

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

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

Open 毛 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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