单被 (dān bèi) — bedsheet

Definition

noun
bedsheet
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 单被。
    Wǒ xū yào yì tiáo xīn dān bèi.
    I need a new bedsheet.
  • 单被，。
    Zhè ge dān bèi shì mián de, hěn shū fu.
    This bedsheet is cotton, very comfortable.
  • 单被，。
    Wǒ zuó tiān xǐ le dān bèi, jīn tiān yǐ jīng gān le.
    I washed the bedsheet yesterday; it's already dry today.

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.

单dānsingle
被bèibedding

单 suggests a single or thin layer, and 被 is bedding, so 单被 names a bed sheet.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

Open 单 →

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
衣衣yīclothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí被bèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

被 pairs 衣 (clothing) with 皮, which gives the sound.

Open 被 →

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