前额 (qián é) — forehead | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

forehead

Measure word · 个

前额。
Tā yòng shǒu mō le mō qián é.
He touched his forehead with his hand.
前额。
Tā rè dé qián é shàng dōu shì hàn.
She was so hot her forehead was covered in sweat.
前额，。
Tā de qián é hěn gāo, kàn qǐ lái hěn yǒu zhì huì.
His forehead is high, making him look intelligent.

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.

额éforehead

前 marks the front of the head, and 额 names the forehead, so 前额 denotes the forehead.

Characters in this word

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

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

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 額; 额 is its simplified writing.

客頁額

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

客

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

The traditional form 額 combines 頁 (head), which points to the meaning, with 客, which gives the sound. The simplified 额 is a later abbreviation.

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