旧习 (jiù xí) — old habit, old custom | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

old habitold custom

Examples

旧习。
Tā jué xīn gǎi diào zhè ge jiù xí.
He is determined to get rid of this old habit.
，旧习。
Xīn nián dào le, jiā jiā hù hù dōu máng zhe pò chú jiù xí.
As the New Year arrives, every household is busy breaking old customs.
旧习。
Shè huì jìn bù xū yào bìng qì mǒu xiē jiù xí.
Social progress requires abandoning some old habits.

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.

The '旧' old sense specifies the kind of '习' habit or custom.

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 舊; 旧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

雈雈huánowl

Sound part声符shēngfú

臼

臼jiù舊jiù

Same sound today

The traditional form of 旧 is 舊, which shows 雈, an owl, above 臼, which gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 習; 习 is its simplified writing.

羽羽yǔwings
日日rìsun

The traditional form 習 pairs 羽 (wings) with 日 (sun), showing a bird learning to fly; the simplified 习 is a later shorthand.

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