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发晕 (fā yūn) — to feel dizzy

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to feel dizzy / get dizzy' — describes dizziness coming on (often from motion, illness, or fatigue). More vivid than a flat 'dizzy' adjective: it frames dizziness as an episode that happens to you.

verb
to feel dizzy

Examples

  • 发晕。
    Wǒ zuò chē de shí hou cháng cháng fā yūn.
    I often feel dizzy when riding in a car.
  • ，。
    Tā zuó tiān fā le yí cì yūn, xiàn zài hǎo duō le.
    He felt dizzy once yesterday, and now he's much better.
  • ，。
    Tā fā guò yūn, suǒ yǐ bù gǎn zuò guò shān chē.
    She has felt dizzy before, so she doesn't dare ride roller coasters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

发fābecome
晕yūndizzy

发 says to become, and 晕 is dizzy; together they give feeling dizzy.

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.

Open 发 →

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 暈; 晕 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìSun
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn暈yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 暈 first drew 日 (the sun) ringed by lines for a halo, and later paired 日 with the sound part 軍. The simplified 晕 is a later abbreviation.

Open 晕 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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