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鳄鱼 (è yú) — crocodile; alligator

Definition

A crocodilian reptile, translated in English as 'crocodile' or 'alligator.' Distinguish from 鲨鱼 (shark): both end in 鱼 'fish' in Chinese, but 鳄鱼 is a reptile and 鲨鱼 a cartilaginous fish.

noun
crocodilealligator
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 鳄鱼。
    è yú Shēng huó zài hé lǐ.
    Crocodiles live in rivers.
  • 鳄鱼。
    è yú Shì yì zhǒng hěn wēi xiǎn de dòng wù.
    Crocodiles are a very dangerous animal.
  • 鳄鱼。
    Tā mǎi le yí gè è yú pí qián bāo.
    He bought a crocodile leather wallet.

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.

鳄ècrocodile
鱼yúfish

鳄 specifies the animal, while 鱼 is a traditional animal-name element, not a claim that it is a fish.

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 鱷; 鳄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
噩
噩è鱷⁰è
Same sound today

The traditional form 鱷 combines 魚, the fish part, with 噩, the part that gives the sound. The simplified 鳄 is a later shorthand.

Open 鳄 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 魚; 鱼 is its simplified writing.

For 鱼, the traditional form 魚 is a picture of a fish.

Open 鱼 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Fish & Aquatic Life

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