长袖 (cháng xiù) — long sleeve | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

long sleeve

Measure word · 个

Examples

长袖。
Zhè jiàn cháng xiù chèn shān shì bái sè de.
This long-sleeve shirt is white.
长袖。
Xià tiān chuān cháng xiù huì tài rè.
Wearing long sleeves in summer is too hot.
长袖。
Tā xǐ huan chuān cháng xiù lián yī qún.
She likes to wear long-sleeve dresses.

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.

长 marks length and 袖 marks a sleeve, giving a long sleeve.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

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

衣衣yīclothing

Sound part声符shēngfú

由

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

袖 pairs 衣 (clothing) with 由, which provides the sound.

Appears in

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