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粉笔 (fěn bǐ) — chalk

Definition

noun
chalk
Measure word · 支

Examples

  • 粉笔。
    Lǎo shī yòng fěn bǐ zài hēi bǎn shàng xiě zì.
    The teacher writes on the blackboard with chalk.
  • 粉笔。
    Zhè hé fěn bǐ shì bái sè hé cǎi sè de hùn zhuāng.
    This box of chalk is a mix of white and colored ones.
  • 粉笔。
    fěn bǐ Huī róng yì ràng rén dǎ pēn tì.
    Chalk dust easily makes people sneeze.

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.

粉fěnpowder
笔bǐpen

粉笔 joins 粉 (powder) and 笔 (pen) to name a writing stick made of chalky powder.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn粉fěn
Same sound today

粉 pairs 米 (rice) with 分 for its sound. The rice part points to face powder made from rice.

Open 粉 →

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 筆; 笔 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
聿
聿yù筆bǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The simplified 笔 is based on the traditional form 筆, which puts 竹 (bamboo) beside 聿 (writing brush). 聿 already meant the brush and supplied the sound; 竹 was added later to show it was made of bamboo.

Open 笔 →
Appears in
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