多变 (duō biàn) — changeable; variable; varied | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

多变 describes a person, weather, or situation that keeps changing in form or mood — 'changeable, unpredictable.' As a stative verb it is used with 很 (e.g. 性格多变) rather than as an action.

verb

changeablevariablevaried

Examples

。
Zhè lǐ de tiān qì hěn duō biàn.
The weather here is very changeable.
多变，。
Tā xìng gé duō biàn, ràng rén hěn nán liǎo jiě.
His personality is changeable, making it hard to understand him.
多变，。
Shì chǎng qíng kuàng duō biàn, wǒ men yào zuò hǎo zhǔn bèi.
Market conditions are variable; we need to be prepared.

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.

多 means many, and 变 means change, so things change a lot.

Characters in this word

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

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 變; 变 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

䜌

䜌䜌變biàn

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

The traditional form 變 uses 䜌 as a sound part and 攴 as a meaning part.

Appears in

Change & Process

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