羽毛球 (yǔ máo qiú) — shuttlecock; badminton (the sport)

Definition

noun

shuttlecockbadminton (the sport)

Measure word · 个

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.

羽毛feathers

联合Coordinate

羽毛 (feathers) names the material of the 球 (ball), giving the shuttlecock.

Characters in this word

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

羽 comes from a picture of wings or feathers.

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.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

求

Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Appears in