TongTong
Sign in

动画 (dòng huà) — animation; cartoon

Definition

动画 (dònghuà) refers to animated film/TV — moving pictures, not printed comics. Compare 漫画 (printed comics/manga) and 动漫 (the combined cultural concept of animation + comics).

noun
animationcartoon
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • 动画。
    Zhè bù dòng huà de zhì zuò fēi cháng jīng xì.
    The production of this animation is very meticulous.
  • 动画。
    dòng huà De zhǔ jué shì yí gè yǒng gǎn de xiǎo nán hái.
    The main character of the cartoon is a brave little boy.
  • ，动画。
    Jìn nián lái, zhōng guó de dòng huà chǎn yè fā zhǎn hěn kuài.
    In recent years, China's animation industry has developed rapidly.

Origin

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.

动dòngmoving
画huàpicture

The first part means moving and the second means picture, so the word is a picture that moves.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùbrush
Sound part声符shēngfú
規
規guī畫huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.

Open 画 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Film & Theater

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.