花大姐 (huā dà jiě) — ladybug; ladybird (colloquial name for various small beetles)

Definition

A colloquial, folksy Chinese name for a ladybug/ladybird beetle — the kind of word a child would use or hear in storytelling. More vivid and everyday than the standard 瓢虫.

noun
ladybugladybird (colloquial name for various small beetles)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • ，花大姐！
    Nǐ kàn, nà zhī huā dà jiě duō piào liang!
    Look, that ladybug is so beautiful!
  • 花大姐，。
    huā dà jiě Shì yì zhǒng yì chóng, huì chī hài chóng.
    Ladybugs are beneficial insects that eat pests.
  • 花大姐。
    Xiǎo hái zi zuì xǐ huan zhuā huā dà jiě wán le.
    Children love to catch ladybugs and play with them.

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.

花huāflower
大姐elder sister
大dàbig姐jiěelder sister
偏正Modifier + head

The 花 flower coloring and 大姐 big sister combine as a folksy name for the ladybird.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Open 花 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě姐jiě
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 女 part points to a woman, and 且 is a sound component.

Open 姐 →

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