毛线 (máo xiàn) — knitting wool, yarn | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

knitting woolyarn

Measure word · 团

毛线。
Wǒ yòng máo xiàn zhī le yì tiáo wéi jīn.
I knitted a scarf with the wool.
毛线。
Tā mǎi de máo xiàn zhì liàng hěn hǎo.
The yarn she bought is of good quality.
毛线。
Zhè xiē máo xiàn kě yǐ yòng lái zhī máo yī.
This wool can be used to knit a sweater.

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.

毛 gives hair or wool and 线 gives thread, so the sense is woolen thread.

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

糹泉線

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

泉

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

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

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