汤姆 (Tāng mǔ) — Tom (name) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Tom (name)

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

姆mǔ

汤姆 spells the English name Tom; the characters carry no meaning of their own here.

Sound-only characters

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 湯; 汤 is its simplified writing.

氵昜湯

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

昜

昜yáng湯tāng

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

For 汤, the shape explained is 湯: 氵 is water, and 昜 gives the sound.

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

女母姆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

女女nǚfemale

Sound part声符shēngfú

母

Same sound today

姆 pairs 女 (female) on the left with 母 on the right, and 母 gives the sound.

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