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木棍 (mù gùn) — wooden stick

Definition

noun
wooden stick
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 木棍。
    Tā jiǎn qǐ le yì gēn mù gùn.
    He picked up a wooden stick.
  • 木棍。
    Zhè gēn mù gùn hěn jiē shi.
    This wooden stick is very sturdy.
  • 木棍。
    Tā yòng mù gùn bō le bō huǒ.
    He used a wooden stick to poke the fire.

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.

木mùwood
棍gùnstick

"木" gives wood and "棍" names a stick, so the word means a stick made of wood.

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
昆
昆kūn棍gùn(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

棍 has 木 (tree) beside 昆, which gives its sound.

Open 棍 →
Appears in
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