旱獭 (hàn tǎ) — marmot | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

marmot

Measure word · 只

Examples

旱獭。
Wǒ zài shān shàng kàn dào le yì zhī hàn tǎ.
I saw a marmot in the mountains.
旱獭，。
hàn tǎ De máo pí hěn hòu, shì hé hán lěng de qì hòu.
The marmot's fur is thick and suitable for cold climates.
旱獭。
Zhè zhǒng hàn tǎ zhǔ yào fēn bù zài qīng zàng gāo yuán.
This kind of marmot is mainly distributed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

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.

旱 means dry and 獭 names an otter-like animal, labeling the dry-land marmot.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 獺; 獭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

賴

賴lài獺tǎ

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

The traditional form 獺 combines 犬, a dog, with 賴 for the sound; the simplified 獭 is a shorthand.

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