草鞋 (cǎo xié) — straw sandals | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

straw sandals

Measure word · 双

Easily confused

草鞋。
Zhè zhǒng cǎo xié shì yòng dào cǎo biān de.
This kind of straw sandal is woven from rice straw.
草鞋。
Zǒu shān lù de shí hou chuān cǎo xié zuì hé shì.
When hiking on mountain trails, straw sandals are the most suitable.
草鞋。
Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe gǔ dài de cǎo xié.
The museum displays ancient straw sandals.

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.

The 鞋 woven from 草 is a straw sandal.

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.

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

革圭鞋

Meaning part形符xíngfú

革革géleather

Sound part声符shēngfú

圭

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

鞋 puts 革 (leather) beside 圭 to show leather shoes; 圭 gives the sound and originally drew a pair of ritual axes, not earth.