短袜 (duǎn wà) — ankle socks; short socks | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ankle socksshort socks

Measure word · 双

Examples

短袜。
Wǒ mǎi le yì shuāng duǎn wà.
I bought a pair of ankle socks.
短袜。
Jīn tiān chuān duǎn wà bǐ jiào liáng kuai.
It's cooler to wear short socks today.
短袜。
Zhè shuāng duǎn wà de yán sè hěn hǎo kàn.
The color of these ankle socks is very nice.

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.

短 “short” and 袜 “socks” together mean ankle-length socks.

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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

末

末mò袜wà

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

袜 combines 衣, related to clothing, with 末, which provides the sound.

Appears in

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