TongTong
Sign in

飞龙 (fēi lóng) — (paleontology) pterosaur

Definition

In Chinese paleontology, 飞龙 is the standard term for 'pterosaur' (literally 'flying dragon'). It refers to the extinct flying reptiles of the Mesozoic era, not a mythological creature.

noun
(paleontology) pterosaur
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 飞龙。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ yǒu wán zhěng de fēi lóng huà shí.
    There is a complete pterosaur fossil in the museum.
  • 飞龙。
    fēi lóng Shì zhōng shēng dài shí qī de pá xíng dòng wù.
    Pterosaurs are reptiles from the Mesozoic era.
  • 飞龙。
    Yán jiū rén yuán fā xiàn le xīn de fēi lóng zhǒng lèi.
    Researchers have discovered a new species of pterosaur.

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.

飞fēifly
龙lóngdragon

飞 means flying and 龙 means dragon, so 飞龙 pictures a flying dragon.

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 飛; 飞 is its simplified writing.

For 飞, the traditional form 飛 pictures a bird flying upwards.

Open 飞 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 龍; 龙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 龍 originally drew a sacred creature with a large mouth and a snake-like body; the simplified 龙 is the form written here.

Open 龙 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.