头巾 (tóu jīn) — turban | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'head-cloth' (头 head + 巾 cloth) — a cloth wrapped around the head. In modern Chinese it most often refers to a simple headscarf or kerchief, broader than the traditional 'turban'.

noun

turban

Measure word · 条

Examples

头巾。
Tā tóu shàng dài le yì tiáo bái sè tóu jīn.
He wore a white turban on his head.
头巾。
Zhè zhǒng tóu jīn shì chuán tǒng fú shì de yí bù fen.
This kind of turban is part of traditional clothing.
，头巾。
Zài shā mò dì qū, tóu jīn kě yǐ bǎo hù tóu bù miǎn shòu yáng guāng zhào shè.
In desert areas, turbans can protect the head from sunlight.

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.

A piece of cloth worn on the head, hence a headscarf or turban.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 巾 is a picture of a piece of cloth hanging down.

Appears in

Footwear & Accessories

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