背囊 (bēi náng) — knapsack | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

knapsack

Measure word · 个

背囊，。
Zhè ge bēi náng hěn qīng, shì hé lǚ xíng.
This knapsack is very light, suitable for traveling.
背囊。
Tā bēi zhe yí gè bēi náng qù pá shān.
He carried a knapsack on his back to climb the mountain.
背囊。
Wǒ de bēi náng lǐ zhuāng le hěn duō shū.
There are many books in my knapsack.

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.

背 means back and 囊 means bag, so the thing is a bag worn on the back.

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.

北月背

Meaning part形符xíngfú

月Written in full as肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

北

Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north 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

㯻㯻㯻bag

Sound part声符shēngfú

襄

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

囊 is made from 㯻, a tied bag with items inside, plus an abbreviated form of 襄 that gives the sound.