发式 (fà shì) — hairstyle; hairdo | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

hairstylehairdo

Measure word · 种

发式。
Tā de xīn fà shì kàn qǐ lái hěn shí shàng.
Her new hairstyle looks very fashionable.
发式。
Zhè jiā lǐ fà diàn néng shè jì gè zhǒng fà shì.
This barbershop can design all kinds of hairstyles.
发式。
Nǐ jīn tiān de fà shì hěn shì hé nǐ.
Your hairdo today suits you well.

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.

发 means hair, and 式 means style, so it is a style of hair.

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 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

弋工式

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

弋

弋yì式shì

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

式 pairs 工, meaning work, with 弋, which gives the sound.