撒欢 (sā huān) — (colloquial, of animals) to frolic, to romp, to have fun

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to frolic, to romp' — used mainly of animals (and small children) running around happily. Often appears in the 把/了/起来 construction (撒起欢来, 撒了半天的欢).

verb
(colloquial, of animals) to frolicto rompto have fun

Examples

  • 撒欢。
    Xiǎo gǒu zài cǎo dì shàng sā huān.
    The puppy is frolicking on the grass.
  • 。
    Nà zhī māo zài yuàn zi lǐ sā le bàn tiān de huān.
    That cat has been romping in the yard for a long time.
  • ，。
    Hái zi men dài zhe gǒu qù gōng yuán, gǒu lì kè sā qǐ huān lái.
    The kids took the dog to the park, and it immediately started frolicking.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

撒sālet loose
欢huānjoy

撒 means to let loose and 欢 means joy, so the image is letting joy loose.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
散
散sàn撒sǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

撒 combines 扌 (hand) with 散, which gives the sound; the hand part shows scattering with the hand.

Open 撒 →

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 歡; 欢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn歡huān
Same sound today

The traditional form 歡 uses 雚 for the sound and 欠 for the meaning; the simplified 欢 is a later shorthand, so its parts do not carry that history.

Open 欢 →

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