船桨 (chuán jiǎng) — oar

Definition

noun
oar
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 船桨。
    Tā yòng chuán jiǎng huá chuán.
    He uses an oar to row the boat.
  • 。
    Zhè bǎ mù chuán jiǎng hěn qīng.
    This wooden oar is very light.
  • 船桨。
    Chuán shàng shǎo le yì bǎ chuán jiǎng.
    The boat is missing an oar.

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.

船chuánboat
桨jiǎngoar

船 names a boat, and 桨 is the paddle or oar; together they refer to a boat oar.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕣
㕣㕣船
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

Open 船 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 桨 →

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