喉结 (hóu jié) — Adam's apple | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Adam's apple

Measure word · 个

Examples

，喉结。
Tā shuō huà de shí hou, hóu jié shàng xià dòng le yí xià.
When he spoke, his Adam's apple moved up and down.
喉结。
Qīng chūn qī nán shēng de hóu jié huì biàn de gèng míng xiǎn.
During puberty, a boy's Adam's apple becomes more visible.
喉结，。
Tā de hóu jié hěn dà, yí kàn jiù zhī dào shì chéng nián nán xìng.
His Adam's apple is big — it's obvious he's an adult male.

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.

喉 names the throat, and 结 names a knot, so it points to the knot-like bump in the throat.

Characters in this word

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

口侯喉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

侯

侯hóu喉hóu

Same sound today

喉 combines 口, a mouth, with 侯, which gives its sound.

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 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

吉

吉jí結jié

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

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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