TongTong
Sign in

马尾 (mǎ wěi) — horsetail; horsehair; (girl's) ponytail; Mawei (harbor in Fuzhou, Fujian)

Definition

Literally 'horse tail' — refers to a horse's tail, horsehair, or by extension a girl's ponytail. The homophone 馬尾港 is the name of a port district in Fuzhou.

noun
horsetailhorsehair(girl's) ponytailMawei (harbor in Fuzhou, Fujian)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 马尾。
    Nà pǐ mǎ de mǎ wěi hěn cháng.
    That horse's tail is very long.
  • 马尾。
    Tā jīn tiān zhā le yí gè mǎ wěi.
    She tied a ponytail today.
  • 马尾。
    mǎ wěi Gǎng shì fú zhōu de yí gè zhòng yào gǎng kǒu.
    Mawei Port is an important port in Fuzhou.

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.

马mǎhorse
尾wěitail

马 means horse and 尾 means tail, so the word denotes a horse's tail.

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 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The form 尾 combines 尸 (person) and 毛 (hair; feather).

Open 尾 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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