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服装 (fú zhuāng) — clothing, dress, clothes

Definition

服装 is a more formal word for 'clothing,' used for outfits as a whole, especially in design or industry contexts. Compare with 衣服, the everyday word for clothes you wear, and 衣裳, a colloquial spoken term.

noun
clothingdressclothes
Measure word · 身

Examples

  • 服装。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de fú zhuāng shè jì fēi cháng dú tè.
    This company's clothing design is very unique.
  • 服装，。
    Tā chuān le yì shēn bái sè fú zhuāng, kàn qǐ lái hěn yōu yǎ.
    She wore a white outfit and looked very elegant.
  • 。
    Zhè jiā diàn zhuān mài yùn dòng fú zhuāng.
    This store specializes in sportswear.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

服fúclothing
装zhuāngdress

服 and 装 both refer to clothing or dress, together meaning clothing.

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
凡凡fántray
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬝
𠬝𠬝服fú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 服, the part 𠬝 was the original picture for 'to subdue'; the added left part 凡, a tray, later changed shape.

Open 服 →

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →
Appears in
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