戏装 (xì zhuāng) — theatrical or stage costume

Definition

noun

theatrical or stage costume

Measure word · 件

Examples

戏装。
Tā chuān zhuó xì zhuāng shàng tái le.
He went on stage wearing a theatrical costume.
戏装。
Zhè xiē xì zhuāng shì shǒu gōng zhì zuò de.
These stage costumes are handmade.
戏装。
Yǎn yuán de xì zhuāng fēi cháng huá lì.
The actor's theatrical costume is very splendid.

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.

戏xìtheater

装zhuāngcostume

戏 refers to theater and 装 to costume, so it names stage clothing.

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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

䖒戈戲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

戈戈gēhalberd

Sound part声符shēngfú

䖒

䖒䖒戲xì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

壯衣裝

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衣衣yīclothes

Sound part声符shēngfú

壯

壯zhuàng裝zhuāng

Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →