鞋带 (xié dài) — shoelace; shoestring | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

shoelaceshoestring

Measure word · 根

鞋带，。
Wǒ de xié dài duàn le, dé huàn yì shuāng xīn de.
My shoelace broke, I need to replace it with a new pair.
鞋带，。
Qǐng bǎ xié dài jì jǐn, bù rán zǒu lù róng yì shuāi dǎo.
Please tie your shoelaces tight, otherwise you might trip while walking.
鞋带。
Tā mǎi le yì gēn hóng sè de xié dài.
He bought a red shoelace.

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.

鞋 'shoe' specifies 带 'strap' as the lace tied on a shoe.

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.

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Appears in