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劈叉 (pī chǎ) — to do the splits (in gymnastics, dance, or accidentally)

Definition

A verb meaning 'to do the splits' — the legs spread in opposite directions until fully extended, used for deliberate moves in dance/gymnastics or accidental slips on ice or wet floors.

verb
to do the splits (in gymnastics, dance, or accidentally)

Examples

  • 劈叉。
    Tā zài wǔ tái shàng biǎo yǎn le yí gè wán měi de pī chǎ.
    She performed a perfect split on stage.
  • ，。
    Tā liàn yú jiā de shí hou pī le yí gè chā, jié guǒ lā shāng le jī ròu.
    While doing yoga, he did a split and ended up straining a muscle.
  • ，，。
    Xià xuě tiān lù tài huá, tā bù xiǎo xīn pī le gè chā, shuāi le yì jiāo.
    The road was so slippery on the snowy day that she accidentally did the splits and fell.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

劈pīsplit
叉chāfork-like straddle

劈 means to split, and 叉 refers to a fork-like straddle; together they describe splitting the legs into a straddle.

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
辟
辟pì劈pī
Same sound today

劈 combines 辟, which gives the sound pì, with 刀, a knife, for cutting or splitting.

Open 劈 →

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

The form 叉 is made by combining 又 with the dot stroke 丶.

Open 叉 →
Appears in
Dance & PerformanceSports & Athletics

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