运动衣 (yùn dòng yī) — sportswear, athletic clothing

Definition

noun
sportswearathletic clothing
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 运动衣。
    Wǒ mǎi le yí tào xīn de yùn dòng yī.
    I bought a new set of sportswear.
  • 运动衣，。
    Zhè jiàn yùn dòng yī shì chún mián de, chuān zhuó hěn shū fu.
    This piece of athletic clothing is pure cotton and feels very comfortable.
  • 运动衣。
    Qù jiàn shēn fáng zhī qián bié wàng le dài yùn dòng yī.
    Don't forget to bring your sportswear before going to the gym.

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.

运动movement/sports
运yùnmove动dòngmove
联合Side by side
衣yīclothing

运 “move” and 动 “move” both refer to movement, and 衣 means clothing, so it is clothing for sports.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 運; 运 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn運yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 運 combines 辵, meaning motion, with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 运 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 运 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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

The shape of 衣 comes from an outline of the chest and upper clothing.

Open 衣 →

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