天鹅湖 (Tiān é Hú) — Swan Lake (the classical ballet)

Definition

noun
Swan Lake (the classical ballet)

Examples

  • 天鹅湖。
    Wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù xiǎng kàn Tiān é Hú de xiàn chǎng yǎn chū.
    I've wanted to see a live performance of Swan Lake since I was a child.
  • 天鹅湖，。
    Tiān é Hú De yīn yuè fēi cháng yōu měi, měi cì tīng dōu hěn gǎn dòng.
    The music of Swan Lake is very beautiful; every time I hear it I am deeply moved.
  • ，天鹅湖。
    Tā shì yí wèi chū sè de bā lěi wǔ yǎn yuán, zhǔ yǎn guò Tiān é Hú.
    She is an outstanding ballet dancer and has starred in Swan Lake.

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.

天鹅swan
天tiānsky鹅égoose
偏正Modifier + head
湖húlake

The 湖 is named for 天鹅, a bird whose name suggests sky and goose.

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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 鵝; 鹅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ鵝é
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 鵝, 鳥 shows it is a bird and 我 gives the sound; the simplified 鹅 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 鹅 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
胡
胡hú湖hú
Same sound today

湖 pairs 水 (water) with 胡 (hú), which gives the sound.

Open 湖 →

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