古董 (gǔ dǒng) — antique, curio | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

antiquecurio

Measure word · 件

古董。
Wǒ zài nà jiā diàn kàn dào le yí gè gǔ dǒng.
I saw an antique at that shop.
古董，。
Zhè ge gǔ dǒng shì jǐ bǎi nián qián de, hěn zhí qián.
This antique is from hundreds of years ago and is very valuable.
古董。
Tā xǐ huan shōu cáng gǔ dǒng.
He likes to collect antiques.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

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

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

重

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

董 is made of 艸 (grass) and 重, which is used for the sound.

Appears in