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松鼠 (sōng shǔ) — squirrel

Definition

noun
squirrel
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 松鼠。
    Wǒ zuó tiān zài gōng yuán kàn jiàn yì zhī sōng shǔ.
    I saw a squirrel in the park yesterday.
  • 松鼠。
    Nà zhī sōng shǔ zhèng zài shù shàng chī jiān guǒ.
    That squirrel is eating nuts in the tree.
  • 松鼠。
    sōng shǔ De wěi ba yòu dà yòu péng sōng.
    The squirrel's tail is big and fluffy.

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.

松sōngpine
鼠shǔrodent

松 is pine, and 鼠 is a rodent, suggesting a squirrel that lives among pines.

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng松sōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

松 uses 木 (wood) to show it is a tree, and 公 to give the sound.

Open 松 →

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

The shape of 鼠 pictures a rat: the upper part looks like an open mouth with teeth, while the lower part shows two feet on the left and a tail on the right.

Open 鼠 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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