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书迷 (shū mí) — book lover, bookworm, bibliophile; fan of traditional Chinese storytelling (说书)

Definition

书迷 is a 迷-pattern fan noun meaning someone enthusiastic about books. It usually means 'book lover / bookworm'; only with 说书 or 评书 does it mean 'fan of storytelling'.

noun
book loverbookwormbibliophilefan of traditional Chinese storytelling (说书)

Examples

  • 书迷，。
    Tā shì gè shū mí, jiā lǐ yǒu jǐ qiān běn shū.
    He is a book lover; he has several thousand books at home.
  • 书迷，。
    Zuò wéi shū mí, tā měi zhōu dōu qù cān jiā dú shū huì.
    As a book fan, he goes to reading clubs every week.
  • 书迷。
    Zhè wèi lǎo xiān sheng shì píng shū de zhōng shí shū mí.
    This old gentleman is a loyal fan of storytelling.

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.

书shūbook
迷mífan

书 means book and 迷 means fan, so a fan of books.

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
米
米mǐ迷mí
Same sound today

迷 uses 辵, the walking part, and 米, which gives the sound.

Open 迷 →
Appears in
Hobbies & PastimesReading & Writing

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