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图钉 (tú dīng) — thumbtack, drawing pin

Definition

noun
thumbtackdrawing pin
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 图钉。
    Qǐng bāng wǒ mǎi yì hé tú dīng.
    Please help me buy a box of thumbtacks.
  • 图钉。
    Tā bǎ tú dīng àn jìn ruǎn mù bǎn shàng.
    He pushed the thumbtack into the corkboard.
  • 图钉。
    Yòng tú dīng bǎ zhè zhāng dì tú gù dìng zài qiáng shàng ba.
    Use thumbtacks to fix this map to the wall.

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.

图túpicture
钉dīngnail

图 (picture) and 钉 (nail) combine into a nail for pictures.

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 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

  • 囗囗wéiwalled city
  • 啚啚bǐ

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

Open 图 →

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 釘; 钉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng釘dīng
Same sound today

The traditional 釘 pairs 金 (metal) with 丁 for sound; some theorize 丁 originally meant “nail,” so 釘 was created to write that word with metal added. The simplified 钉 is a shorthand.

Open 钉 →
Appears in
Miscellaneous Objects

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