发蜡 (fà là) — pomade (hair styling product)

Definition

noun

pomade (hair styling product)

Measure word · 瓶

发蜡。
Tā yòng le yì diǎn fà là jiù bǎ tóu fa shū dé hěn zhěng qí.
He used a bit of pomade to comb his hair neatly.
发蜡。
Zhè zhǒng fà là de dìng xíng xiào guǒ hěn hǎo.
This type of pomade has a very good hold.
发蜡。
Wǒ mǎi le liǎng zhǒng bù tóng pǐn pái de fà là.
I bought two different brands of pomade.

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 蜡 means wax, naming a waxy product for 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蠟; 蜡 is its simplified writing.

虫巤蠟

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

巤

巤liè蠟là

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

The traditional form 蠟 has 虫 (insect) and 巤 (sound); the simplified 蜡 is a shorthand.