(suō) — shuttle

Definition

noun
shuttle
Measure word ·

Examples

  • Zhī bù jī shàng de suō lái huí chuān suō.
    The shuttle moves back and forth on the loom.
  • Tā shú liàn de huàn le yí gè xīn suō.
    She skillfully changed to a new shuttle.
  • Zhè tái lǎo zhī bù jī de suō huài le.
    The shuttle of this old loom is broken.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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

梭 is built from 木, the wood part, and 夋, which gives its sound.

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