刷牙 (shuā yá) — to brush one's teeth | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A 离合词 (separable verb) meaning 'to brush (one's) teeth' — in sentences the object 牙 can split from 刷, as in 刷两次牙. Don't insert other objects between 刷 and 牙.

verb

to brush one's teeth

Examples

刷牙。
Měi tiān zǎo shàng wǒ dōu yào shuā yá.
I brush my teeth every morning.
。
Tā shuā le liǎng cì yá cái chū mén.
He brushed his teeth twice before going out.
。
Jì de shuā wán yá zài shuì jiào.
Remember to finish brushing your teeth before sleeping.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

刷 gives the brushing action, and 牙 gives the teeth.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

㕞

㕞㕞刷shuā

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

刷 uses 刀, a knife, and pairs it with 㕞 as a sound component.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

Hygiene & Grooming

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