奴隶 (nú lì) — slave | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

slave

Measure word · 个

，奴隶。
Zài gǔ dài, xǔ duō rén shì bèi yā pò de nú lì.
In ancient times, many people were oppressed slaves.
，奴隶。
Tā gōng zuò tài nǔ lì, jiǎn zhí chéng le gōng zuò de nú lì.
He works too hard; he's practically a slave to his work.
。
Xiàn dài shè huì yīng gāi chè dǐ fèi chú nú lì zhì.
Modern society should completely abolish the slave system.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

隶lìservant

奴 and 隶 both refer to servile persons; together they mean a slave.

Characters in this word

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

女又奴

奴 shows 又 (a hand) and 女 (a woman): a hand capturing and ordering a woman around.

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 隸; 隶 is its simplified writing.

柰隶隸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

隶隶lìarrest

Sound part声符shēngfú

柰

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

The traditional form 隸 pairs 柰 for sound with 隶 for arrest; the simplified 隶 is a shorthand.

Appears in