黑板擦 (hēi bǎn cā) — blackboard eraser

Definition

noun

blackboard eraser

Measure word · 个

黑板擦。
Qǐng bǎ hēi bǎn cā dì gěi wǒ.
Please pass me the blackboard eraser.
黑板擦。
Zhè ge hēi bǎn cā hěn hǎo yòng.
This blackboard eraser is very easy to use.
黑板擦。
Lǎo shī yòng hēi bǎn cā bǎ hēi bǎn cā gān jìng le.
The teacher used the blackboard eraser to clean the blackboard.

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.

黑板blackboard

偏正Modifier + head

The object 黑板擦 is for wiping a 黑板, so the name points to its use.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木反板

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

板 pairs 木 (tree) with 反 as a sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

扌察擦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

察

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 is the hand, showing that 擦 is an action done with the hand, such as wiping or scrubbing; the right part 察 gives the sound.