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脑门 (nǎo mén) — forehead

Definition

A colloquial, everyday word for 'forehead.' More casual and concrete than the anatomical 额头, which sounds more neutral or slightly formal.

noun
forehead
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 脑门，。
    Tā yòng shǒu mō le mō nǎo mén, fā xiàn yǒu xiē fā shāo.
    He touched his forehead and found it was a bit feverish.
  • 脑门。
    Tā de nǎo mén shèn chū xì mì de hàn zhū.
    Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
  • ，脑门。
    Tā zhòu qǐ méi tóu, nǎo mén shàng de zhòu wén gèng shēn le.
    He frowned, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened.

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.

脑nǎohead/brain
门méndoor/opening

“脑” points to the head, and “门” suggests the front opening of it.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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