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带刺 (dài cì) — (of plants, animals) to have thorns or spines; (of speech, attitude) to be barbed, to be sarcastic

Definition

带刺 (dài cì) means 'to have thorns' literally — plants or animals with spines — and figuratively, speech or attitude that stings or is sarcastic. The figurative sense is the one learners will meet more often.

verb
(of plants, animals) to have thorns or spines(of speech, attitude) to be barbedto be sarcastic

Examples

  • 带刺，。
    Zhè zhǒng méi gui dài cì, zhāi de shí hou yào xiǎo xīn.
    This kind of rose has thorns — be careful when picking them.
  • ，。
    Tā shuō huà zǒng dài yì gēn cì, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    He always speaks with a barb, making people very uncomfortable.
  • ，。
    Tā de huà lǐ dài diǎn r cì, hǎo xiàng zài pī píng wǒ.
    Her words had a bit of a sting, as if she was criticizing me.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

带dàicarry
刺cìthorn

带 (carry) and 刺 (thorn) combine to mean having thorns or barbs.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Open 带 →

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
刂Written in full as刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì刺cì
Same sound today

刺 pairs 刂 (knife) with 朿, which gives the sound; the knife part fits actions like stabbing or pricking.

Open 刺 →
Appears in
Personality & TraitsPlants & Flowers

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