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喷嚏 (pēn tì) — sneeze

Definition

喷嚏 (pēntì) names the sneeze itself — the act and the sound. Note it almost always appears in the fixed phrase 打喷嚏 ('to sneeze'); using 喷嚏 as a lone verb is unidiomatic.

noun
sneeze
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 喷嚏。
    Tā dǎ le yí gè pēn tì.
    He sneezed.
  • ，。
    Wǒ zuì jìn zǒng shì dǎ pēn tì, kě néng shì gǎn mào le.
    I've been sneezing a lot lately; maybe I have a cold.
  • 。
    Tā dǎ pēn tì de shí hou yòng shǒu wǔ zhù le zuǐ.
    She covered her mouth with her hand when she sneezed.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

喷pēn
嚏tì

喷 and 嚏 do not carry separate meanings here; together they name a sneeze.

Sound-only characters

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 噴; 喷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì噴pēn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 噴 pairs 口, mouth, with 賁 for the sound; the simplified 喷 is a later shorthand.

Open 喷 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
疐
疐dì嚏tì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

嚏 pairs 口, which relates to the mouth, with 疐, which gives the character its sound.

Open 嚏 →
Appears in
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