毛毡 (máo zhān) — felt (the textile material)

Definition

noun

felt (the textile material)

Measure word · 块

Easily confused

毛毡，。
Zhè kuài máo zhān hěn róu ruǎn, kě yǐ yòng lái zuò mào zi.
This piece of felt is very soft and can be used to make a hat.
，毛毡。
Dōng tiān dào le, wǒ zài jiā lǐ pù le yí kuài máo zhān dì tǎn.
Winter has come; I laid a felt carpet at home.
毛毡。
Tā yòng máo zhān zuò le yí gè xiǎo dòng wù de wán ǒu.
He used felt to make a small animal doll.

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.

The wool part and the felt part combine to name felt made from wool.

Characters in this word

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

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

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 氈; 毡 is its simplified writing.

亶毛氈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

毛毛máohair, fur

Sound part声符shēngfú

亶

亶dǎn氈zhān

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 氈 uses 毛 (hair, fur) to show the meaning and 亶 to give the sound; 毡 is a later simplified shape.