佩饰 (pèi shì) — ornament worn on the body (e.g. pendant, brooch)

Definition

noun

ornament worn on the body (e.g. pendant, brooch)

Measure word · 件

Easily confused

佩饰，。
Tā dài le yí gè yù zhì de pèi shì, kàn qǐ lái hěn yōu yǎ.
She wore a jade ornament that looked very elegant.
佩饰，。
Zhè tiáo xiàng liàn shàng de pèi shì shì huáng jīn zuò de, fēi cháng jīng zhì.
The pendant on this necklace is made of gold and very exquisite.
佩饰。
Tā zài gǔ wán diàn mǎi le yí jiàn gǔ dài tóng zhì pèi shì.
He bought an ancient bronze ornament at an antique shop.

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.

饰shìornament

佩饰 puts 佩 (worn) together with 饰 (ornament), meaning a body ornament.

Characters in this word

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

佩 is built from 人 (person) and 巾 (piece of cloth), plus 凡, whose role is unclear. Its original meaning was a large sash.

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 飾; 饰 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

巾巾jīncloth

Sound part声符shēngfú

飤

飤sì飾shì

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

The traditional form 飾 pairs 巾 (cloth) with 飤 as a sound part; the simplified 饰 is a later abbreviation.