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挂彩 (guà cǎi) — to hang colorful decorations (for a festive occasion); to be wounded in action (military slang)

Definition

A vivid verb with two distinct senses: hang festive decorations, or (in military slang) be wounded in action.

verb
to hang colorful decorations (for a festive occasion)to be wounded in action (military slang)

Examples

  • ，挂彩。
    Chūn jié kuài dào le, jiā jiā hù hù dōu zài mén qián guà cǎi.
    Spring Festival is coming, and every household is hanging colorful decorations in front of the door.
  • ，。
    Tā zài shàng yí cì zhàn dòu zhōng guà guò cǎi, xiàn zài shāng yǐ jīng hǎo le.
    He was wounded in the last battle, and now the wound has healed.
  • 。
    Zhè wèi lǎo bīng céng jīng guà guò liǎng cì cǎi.
    This veteran has been wounded twice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

挂guàhang
彩cǎicolor

挂 means to hang and 彩 refers to colored things; literally hanging colors, extended to being wounded.

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 掛; 挂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺘Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
卦
卦guà掛guà
Same sound today

In the traditional form 掛, the hand part ⺘ and the sound part 卦 show hooking or hanging something with the hand; this form was originally a popular form of 挂.

Open 挂 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi彩cǎi
Same sound today

彩 puts 采, which gives the sound, next to 彡, the three-stroke mark that carries the meaning.

Open 彩 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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