柳条箱 (liǔ tiáo xiāng) — wicker suitcase; wicker trunk

Definition

noun
wicker suitcasewicker trunk
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 柳条箱。
    Nǎi nai bǎ jiù yī fu dōu fàng zài liǔ tiáo xiāng lǐ.
    Grandma put all the old clothes in the wicker trunk.
  • 柳条箱。
    Tā zài gǔ dǒng diàn lǐ mǎi le yí gè liǔ tiáo xiāng.
    He bought a wicker suitcase at the antique shop.
  • 柳条箱。
    Zhè zhī liǔ tiáo xiāng shì tā zǔ mǔ chuán xià lái de.
    This wicker trunk was passed down from her grandmother.

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.

柳条willow strip
柳liǔwillow条tiáostrip
偏正Modifier + head
箱xiāngtrunk

柳条 means willow strips, and 箱 is a case: a trunk made from them.

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mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo柳liǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The willow character 柳 pairs 木, tree, with 卯, which gives its sound.

Open 柳 →

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

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
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng箱xiāng
Same sound today

箱 combines 竹, showing bamboo, with 相 as a sound part, to write a bamboo box or case.

Open 箱 →

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