鼓鼓的 (gǔ gǔ de) — bulging, swollen, puffed out

Definition

A reduplicated adjective describing things that are visibly stuffed, puffed out, or bulging (pockets, bags, sails). The 的 makes it an attributive or complement form rather than a plain stative adjective.

adjective

bulgingswollenpuffed out

Examples

鼓鼓的，。
Tā de kǒu dài gǔ gǔ de, zhuāng le hěn duō dōng xī.
His pockets are bulging, stuffed with a lot of things.
鼓鼓的，。
Shū bāo gǔ gǔ de, kàn qǐ lái hěn zhòng.
The backpack is bulging and looks very heavy.
鼓鼓的。
Fēng bǎ fān chuī dé gǔ gǔ de.
The wind blew the sail until it was bulging.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

鼓鼓bulging

鼓gǔbulge鼓gǔbulge

的destate

鼓 repeats to intensify bulging, and 的 gives a descriptive state, meaning puffed out.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

壴支鼓

壴壴zhùdrum
支支zhīhand holding drumstick

鼓 combines 壴, a drum, with 支, a hand holding a drumstick, so the character pictures a drum being struck.

Open 鼓 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

壴支鼓

壴壴zhùdrum
支支zhīhand holding drumstick

鼓 combines 壴, a drum, with 支, a hand holding a drumstick, so the character pictures a drum being struck.

Open 鼓 →

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

白勺的

Meaning part形符xíngfú

白白báiwhite

Sound part声符shēngfú

勺

勺sháo的de

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

的 pairs 白, related to white or brightness, with 勺, which gives a clue to the sound. Its older form 旳 meant bright.

Open 的 →