企鹅 (qǐ é) — penguin | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

penguin

Measure word · 只

企鹅。
Nán jí yǒu hěn duō qǐ é.
There are many penguins in Antarctica.
企鹅。
Zhè zhī qǐ é zǒu qǐ lù lái yáo yáo bǎi bǎi de.
This penguin waddles when it walks.
企鹅。
Hái zi men zài dòng wù yuán lǐ kàn dào le kě ài de qǐ é.
The children saw cute penguins at the zoo.

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.

企qǐstand upright

企 suggests standing upright, and 鹅 is a goose, so the name pictures a penguin as an upright goose-like bird.

Characters in this word

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

人止企

企 pairs 人 (person) with 止 (foot), showing a person standing on tiptoes.

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 鵝; 鹅 is its simplified writing.

我鳥鵝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

鳥鳥niǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

我

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

In the traditional form 鵝, 鳥 shows it is a bird and 我 gives the sound; the simplified 鹅 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

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