水貂 (shuǐ diāo) — mink | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

mink

Measure word · 只

水貂。
shuǐ diāo Shì yì zhǒng shēng huó zài běi měi zhōu de dòng wù.
Mink is an animal that lives in North America.
水貂。
Zhè jiàn dà yī yòng de shì yōu zhì de shuǐ diāo máo.
This coat uses high-quality mink fur.
水貂。
Yǎng zhí shuǐ diāo xū yào zhuān yè de sì yǎng zhī shi.
Raising mink requires professional breeding knowledge.

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.

水 and 貂 together name an aquatic marten-like animal.

Characters in this word

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

豸召貂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

豸豸zhì

Sound part声符shēngfú

召

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

貂 is built from 豸, the part used for animals, and 召, which gives the character its sound.