木屐 (mù jī) — wooden clogs; (Japanese) geta-style clogs

Definition

Wooden clogs traditionally worn in East Asia — flat wooden base with raised teeth, making a clacking sound. In modern Chinese the word is mostly used in a Japanese context (geta-style footwear).

noun
wooden clogs(Japanese) geta-style clogs
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 木屐
    Tā mǎi le yì shuāng mù jī, dǎ suàn qù jīng dū lǚ yóu de shí hou chuān.
    He bought a pair of wooden clogs and plans to wear them when traveling to Kyoto.
  • 木屐
    Zhè zhǒng mù jī zǒu qǐ lù lái huì fā chū "gē dā gē dā" de shēng yīn.
    This type of wooden clogs makes a "clack clack" sound when you walk.
  • 木屐
    Zài rì běn, hěn duō rén hái huì zài jié rì shí chuān mù jī.
    In Japan, many people still wear wooden clogs during festivals.

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.

wood
clog

木 gives wood and 屐 gives clog, so the word names a wooden clog.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

Open 木 →

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
shoe
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

屐 combines 履, meaning shoe, with 支, which gives the sound.

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