扫帚星 (sào zhou xīng) — (astronomy) comet; (derogatory, figurative) a person (especially a woman) who brings bad luck; jinx

Definition

Literally 'broom star' — a comet (so named for its long tail) and, in figurative use, a jinx or person blamed for bad luck. The literal sense is the standard term in astronomy writing.

noun
(astronomy) comet(derogatory, figurative) a person (especially a woman) who brings bad luckjinx
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 扫帚星。
    Kē xué jiā zuì jìn fā xiàn le yì kē xīn de sào zhou xīng.
    Scientists recently discovered a new comet.
  • ，，扫帚星。
    Zì cóng tā lái le yǐ hòu, wǒ men duì jiù méi yíng guò, dà jiā dōu jiào tā sào zhou xīng.
    Ever since he came, our team hasn't won a single game — everyone calls him a jinx.
  • 扫帚星。
    Gǔ dài rén rèn wéi sào zhou xīng chū xiàn shì zāi nàn de yù zhào.
    Ancient people believed that the appearance of a comet was an omen of disaster.

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.

扫帚broom
扫sǎosweep帚zhǒubroom
偏正Modifier + head
星xīngstar

扫帚 is a broom and 星 is a star, so the word pictures a comet as a broom-like star.

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 掃; 扫 is its simplified writing.

The form 掃 draws a hand with a broomstick, the thing used for sweeping.

Open 扫 →

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

帚 originally drew a broom, with bristles on top and a tied handle below. In the modern shape, the top resembles 肀 and the lower parts can be seen as 冖 over 巾, but this is only a later breakdown.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

Open 星 →

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