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脑袋瓜 (nǎo dài guā) — (informal) head, noggin; (informal) brains, intelligence, mind

Definition

Very colloquial for 'head' or 'brains' — more playful and casual than the neutral 脑袋, and used in everyday speech rather than writing.

noun
(informal) headnoggin(informal) brainsintelligencemind
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 脑袋瓜。
    Tā dǎ qiú de shí hou bèi qiú zá dào le nǎo dài guā.
    He got hit on the head by the ball while playing.
  • 脑袋瓜，。
    Zhè hái zi nǎo dài guā cōng ming, xué shén me dōu kuài.
    This kid has a sharp mind and learns everything quickly.
  • 脑袋瓜，。
    Bié pāi wǒ nǎo dài guā, wǒ zhèng xiǎng wèn tí ne.
    Don't tap my head — I'm thinking about a problem.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

脑袋head
脑nǎobrain袋dàibag
偏正Modifier + head
瓜guā

脑袋 names the head, and 瓜 gives a familiar, rounded colloquial feel.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

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
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
代
代dài袋dài
Same sound today

袋 combines 衣 (clothes) with 代, where 衣 gives the meaning and 代 gives the sound.

Open 袋 →

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

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Open 瓜 →
Appears in
Body PartsThinking & Cognition

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