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棒球 (bàng qiú) — baseball

Definition

noun
baseball
Measure word · 个, 只

Examples

  • 棒球。
    Wǒ mǎi le yí gè bàng qiú.
    I bought a baseball.
  • 棒球。
    Tā jīng cháng dǎ bàng qiú.
    He often plays baseball.
  • 棒球。
    Zhè zhī bàng qiú shì xīn de.
    This baseball is new.

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.

棒bàngbat
球qiúball

棒 is a bat, and 球 is a ball; together they name the ball game played with a bat.

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mùtree, wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
奉
奉fèng棒bàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

棒 combines 木 (wood) with 奉, which gives the sound, to write a wooden club.

Open 棒 →

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú球qiú
Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Open 球 →
Appears in
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