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鲸须 (jīng xū) — baleen (the filter-feeding plates in the mouths of certain whales); whalebone (archaic term for the same material, historically used in corsets and tools)

Definition

Refers to the keratin filter plates in the mouths of baleen whales, used to strain small prey from seawater. "Whalebone" is the older English term, now mostly historical (corsets, umbrella ribs).

noun
baleen (the filter-feeding plates in the mouths of certain whales)whalebone (archaic term for the same material, historically used in corsets and tools)
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 鲸须。
    Lán jīng yòng jīng xū guò lǜ hǎi shuǐ zhōng de lín xiā.
    Blue whales use baleen to filter krill from seawater.
  • 鲸须，。
    Zhè zhǒng jīng de jīng xū fēi cháng xì mì, kě yǐ bǔ zhuō xiǎo yú.
    This species of whale has very fine baleen that can catch small fish.
  • 鲸须。
    Guò qù rén men yòng jīng xū zhì zuò sǎn gǔ hé yī fu chèn diàn.
    In the past, people used whalebone to make umbrella ribs and clothing lining.

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.

鲸jīngwhale
须xūwhisker

鲸 means whale and 须 means whisker, giving the name for whale baleen.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鯨; 鲸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng鯨jīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鯨 pairs 魚 (fish) with 京 for the sound; the simplified 鲸 keeps that same 京 sound part.

Open 鲸 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 須; 须 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 须 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (必须) it is 須; in others it is 鬚.

  • 彡彡shānhair
  • 頁頁yèhead

The traditional form 須 shows 頁 (head) with 彡 (hair) beside it, drawing a head with hair on the side, a picture of a beard or whiskers.

Open 须 →
Appears in
Animals & MammalsMaterials & Substances

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