式 (shì) — (suffix) -style; -type; -form; -pattern
Definition
A bound suffix meaning '-style / -type / -form', attached to a noun to name a kind or pattern (e.g. 西式 'Western-style'). Compare 种 (a classifier for kinds) and 样 (a classifier for varieties of an item).
suffix
-style-type-form-pattern
Examples
- 。Zhè zhǒng xué xí fāng shì hěn yǒu xiào.This learning method is very effective.
- 。Tā men xǐ huan ōu shì de jiā jù.They like European-style furniture.
- ？Nǐ gèng xǐ huan nǎ zhǒng yàng shì de qún zi?Which style of skirt do you prefer?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
弋
弋yì式shì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
式 pairs 工, meaning work, with 弋, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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