开裆裤 (kāi dāng kù) — open-crotch pants (for babies/toddlers)

Definition

Traditional Chinese-style infant pants with an open or split crotch, used for toddlers in the potty-training stage. 裤 on its own just means pants — the 开裆 specifies the open-crotch design.

noun
open-crotch pants (for babies/toddlers)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 开裆裤。
    Mā ma gěi bǎo bao mǎi le yì tiáo kāi dāng kù.
    Mom bought the baby a pair of open-crotch pants.
  • 开裆裤。
    Zhè zhǒng kāi dāng kù zài xià tiān hěn shí yòng.
    This kind of open-crotch pants is very practical in summer.
  • 开裆裤，。
    Bǎo bao chuān kāi dāng kù de shí hou, yào zhù yì bǎo nuǎn.
    When the baby wears open-crotch pants, you need to keep warm.

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.

开裆open-crotch
开kāiopen裆dāngcrotch
动宾Verb + object
裤kùpants

开裆 (open-crotch) and 裤 (pants) describe a pair of pants with an open crotch.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 開; 开 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 一一yīlatch and/or wooden pole that shuts a door
  • 廾廾gǒnga pair of hands

The traditional form 開 shows 廾, a pair of hands, and 一, a latch or pole, inside 門, a door: hands opening a latched door. The simplified 开 is a shorthand form, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 开 →

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 襠; 裆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
當
當dāng襠dāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 襠 has 衣 (clothing) and 當, which gives the sound; the simplified 裆 is a shorthand, and its parts are not historical parts.

Open 裆 →

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 褲; 裤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
庫
庫kù褲
Same sound today

The traditional form 褲 pairs 衣 (clothing) with 庫 for its sound. The simplified 裤 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 裤 →

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