肥猪 (féi zhū) — fat pig

Definition

noun
fat pig
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 肥猪
    Nóng chǎng shàng yǒu yì tóu hěn dà de féi zhū.
    There is a very big fat pig on the farm.
  • 肥猪
    Zhè tóu féi zhū yǎng dé hěn hǎo, míng nián kě yǐ mài le.
    This fat pig has been raised well; it can be sold next year.
  • 肥猪
    Tā zhǐ zhe yì tóu féi zhū shuō: "zhè zhī zhēn féi."
    He pointed at a fat pig and said, 'This one is really fat.'

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.

肥 describes fatness on 猪, giving a fat pig.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • ròumeat
  • jiéperson kneeling

肥 is built from 肉, meat, and 卪, a kneeling person.

Open 肥 →

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
Written in full asquǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhězhū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

猪 combines 犭, a dog sign, with 者 as a sound part.

Open 猪 →

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