麦 (mài) — wheat; (surname) Mai
Definition
noun
wheat(surname) Mai
Measure word · 颗
Examples
- 。Nóng mín zài tián lǐ zhǒng le hěn duō xiǎo mài.The farmers planted a lot of wheat in the fields.
- 。Xiǎo mài kě yǐ yòng lái zuò miàn bāo hé miàn tiáo.Wheat can be used to make bread and noodles.
- 。Jīn nián xiǎo mài de shōu cheng hěn hǎo.This year's wheat harvest is very good.
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 麥; 麦 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
夊夊suīfootprint pointing down; to walk slowly
Sound part声符shēngfú
來
來lái麥mài
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
For 麦, the traditional form 麥 pairs 來, which gives the sound and once meant wheat, with 夊, a footprint pointing down for slow walking.
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