雪球 (xuě qiú) — snowball

Definition

noun
snowball
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 。
    Hái zi men zài xuě dì lǐ duī le yí gè dà xuě qiú.
    The children built a big snowball in the snow.
  • 雪球,。
    Tā bǎ xuě qiú rēng xiàng péng you, dà jiā dōu xiào le qǐ lái.
    He threw the snowball at his friend, and everyone started laughing.
  • 雪球。
    Zhè zhǒng bǐ sài shì kàn shuí néng gǔn chū zuì dà de xuě qiú.
    This kind of competition is about who can roll the biggest snowball.

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.

雪 snow and 球 ball combine to mean a ball made of snow.

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
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
彗
彗huì雪xuě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

雪 pairs 雨, showing rain, with 彗, giving the sound.

Open 雪 →

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú球qiú
Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Open 球 →

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