鳄 (è) — crocodile; alligator (morpheme, used as part of compound words)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'crocodile / alligator'. It does not stand alone — it only appears in compound words like 鳄鱼, 鳄鱼皮, and 鳄鱼眼泪. Compare 鳄鱼 vs 扬子鳄, 短吻鳄 for specific species.
bound form
crocodilealligator (morpheme, used as part of compound words)
Examples
- 。Dòng wù yuán lǐ yǒu yì zhī hěn dà de è yú.There is a very big crocodile in the zoo.
- 。Zhè kuǎn bāo shì yòng è yú pí zuò de.This bag is made of crocodile leather.
- ？Tīng shuō guò è yú de yǎn lèi ma?Have you heard of 'crocodile tears'?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
The traditional form 鱷 combines 魚, the fish part, with 噩, the part that gives the sound. The simplified 鳄 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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