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宠物 (chǒng wù) — pet

Definition

noun
pet
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 宠物。
    Wǒ yǎng le yì zhī chǒng wù.
    I keep a pet.
  • 宠物。
    Zhè zhī chǒng wù hěn kě ài.
    This pet is very cute.
  • 宠物。
    Tā měi tiān dài chǒng wù qù sàn bù.
    He takes his pet for a walk every day.

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.

宠chǒngfavored
物wùthing

“宠” conveys being favored or pampered, and “物” conveys thing, forming a treasured creature.

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 寵; 宠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
龍
龍lóng寵chǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 寵 pairs 宀 (roof) with 龍 (dragon): 宀 relates to the meaning and 龍 gives the sound. The simplified 宠 is a later shorthand.

Open 宠 →

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
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Animals & Mammals5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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