念珠 (niàn zhū) — prayer beads, rosary (Buddhist) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

prayer beadsrosary (Buddhist)

Measure word · 串

Examples

念珠。
Tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yí chuàn niàn zhū.
He is holding a string of prayer beads in his hand.
念珠。
Zhè wèi sēng rén měi tiān dōu huì shù niàn zhū.
This monk counts his prayer beads every day.
念珠。
Nǎi nai de niàn zhū shì tán mù zuò de.
Grandma's prayer beads are made of sandalwood.

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.

念 (recite) and 珠 (beads) name beads used for reciting prayers.

Characters in this word

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

亼心念

亼今jīnupside-down mouth
心心xīnheart

念 combines 今, an upside-down mouth, with 心, the heart, to listen to one's heart.

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

𤣩Written in full as玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

朱

朱zhū珠zhū

Same sound today

The left side 𤣩, a form of 玉, connects the character to jade, while the right side 朱 gives the sound.

Appears in

Religion & Belief

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