后腿 (hòu tuǐ) — hind legs (of an animal)

Definition

noun

hind legs (of an animal)

Measure word · 条

Examples

后腿。
Zhè zhī gǒu de hòu tuǐ fēi cháng qiáng zhuàng.
This dog's hind legs are very strong.
后腿。
Tù zi yòng hòu tuǐ tiào dé hěn gāo.
The rabbit jumps very high with its hind legs.
，。
Nà pǐ mǎ de hòu tuǐ shòu shāng le, zǒu dé hěn màn.
That horse's hind leg is injured, so it walks very slowly.

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.

后hòurear

腿tuǐleg

后 means rear, and 腿 means leg.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

幺幺yāothread
夊夊suīfoot

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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

肉肉ròuflesh

Sound part声符shēngfú

退

退tuì腿tuǐ

Same sound today

The 肉 part is flesh, showing a body part; the 退 part gives the sound.

Open 腿 →

Appears in

Body Parts