魔爪 (mó zhǎo) — (literal) devil's talons; claws of a monster; (…

Definition

Almost always used figuratively to mean the 'clutches' or 'tentacles' of an evil or oppressive force. The literal 'devil's claws' sense is rare.

noun

(literal) devil's talonsclaws of a monster(figurative) clutchestentacles (of an evil force)

Measure word · 只

魔爪。
Nà zhī guài shòu de mó zhǎo fēi cháng fēng lì.
That monster's claws are very sharp.
魔爪。
Hēi bāng de mó zhǎo yǐ jīng shēn dào le zhè ge xiǎo chéng shì.
The gang's tentacles have already reached this small city.
魔爪。
Lì shǐ gào sù wǒ men bù néng zài cì luò rù dú cái de mó zhǎo zhī xià.
History tells us not to fall under the clutches of dictatorship again.

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.

魔 “demon” + 爪 “claw” = claws of a demon.

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.

麻鬼魔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

鬼鬼guǐdemon

Sound part声符shēngfú

麻

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

魔 pairs 鬼, meaning demon, with 麻, which gives the sound.

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

爪 originally drew a human hand reaching down to grab, with the fingers pointing from above.

Appears in