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洋服 (yáng fú) — Western-style clothes (historical term, now usually 西装)

Definition

Historical term for 'Western-style clothes,' common in the Republic era but largely replaced today by 西装 (suit). You will mostly meet it in older texts or period contexts.

noun
Western-style clothes (historical term, now usually 西装)
Measure word · 套

Examples

  • ，洋服。
    Mín guó shí qī, chuān yáng fú de rén yuè lái yuè duō.
    During the Republic of China era, more and more people wore Western-style clothes.
  • 洋服。
    Zhè jiā lǎo cái feng diàn zhuān mén zuò yáng fú.
    This old tailor shop specializes in making Western-style clothes.
  • “洋服”，“”。
    Xiàn zài hěn shǎo yǒu rén yòng "yáng fú" zhè ge cí le, dōu shuō "xī zhuāng".
    Nowadays few people use the word '洋服'; everyone says '西装'.

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.

洋yángforeign
服fúclothes

洋服 combines “洋” foreign with “服” clothes, naming Western-style garments.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng洋yáng
Same sound today

洋 pairs 氵, the water part, with 羊 to give its sound.

Open 洋 →

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
凡凡fántray
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬝
𠬝𠬝服fú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 服, the part 𠬝 was the original picture for 'to subdue'; the added left part 凡, a tray, later changed shape.

Open 服 →
Appears in
Clothing

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