短发 (duǎn fā) — short hair (hairstyle)

Definition

noun

short hair (hairstyle)

Measure word · 头

短发，。
Tā jiǎn le yí gè duǎn fā, kàn qǐ lái nián qīng le hěn duō.
She got a short haircut and looks much younger.
短发，。
Liú duǎn fā bǐ jiào fāng biàn, bú yòng huā tài duō shí jiān dǎ lǐ.
Having short hair is more convenient—you don't need to spend much time taking care of it.
短发。
Tā de duǎn fā xiǎn de hěn jīng shén.
His short hair looks very energetic.

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.

短 means short and 发 means hair, so 短发 names hair cut short.

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.

矢豆短

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu短duǎn

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

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Appears in