墓场 (mù cháng) — graveyard; cemetery

Definition

noun
graveyardcemetery
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 墓场。
    Tā dú zì yì rén zǒu jìn le huāng liáng de mù cháng.
    He walked into the desolate graveyard alone.
  • 墓场。
    Cūn zi hòu miàn yǒu yí piàn gǔ lǎo de mù cháng.
    Behind the village there is an ancient cemetery.
  • 墓场。
    Zhè ge mù cháng lǐ mái zàng zhe xǔ duō liè shì.
    Many martyrs are buried in this cemetery.

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.

墓mùgrave
场chǎngplace

"墓" and "场" combine a grave with a place, meaning a place for graves.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò墓mù
Same sound today

墓 combines 土 (earth) and 莫 (sound).

Open 墓 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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