浮夸 (fú kuā) — to boast, to exaggerate

Definition

verb
to boastto exaggerate

Examples

  • 浮夸。
    Tā xǐ huan fú kuā zì jǐ de chéng jì.
    He likes to boast about his achievements.
  • 浮夸。
    Xīn wén bào dào bù néng fú kuā shì shí.
    News reports must not exaggerate the facts.
  • 浮夸，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng guò yú fú kuā, ràng rén fǎn gǎn.
    His speech was too bombastic, which turned people off.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

浮fúempty; exaggerated
夸kuāexaggerate

浮夸 pairs 浮, meaning empty or exaggerated, with 夸, meaning exaggerate, so it means to boast or overstate.

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
水水shuǐriver
Sound part声符shēngfú
孚
孚fú浮fú
Same sound today

浮 pairs 水 (river) with 孚, which gives the sound; the river part points to its meaning of floating.

Open 浮 →

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
大大dàman
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú夸kuā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

夸 is built from 大, a standing man, above 于, which gives the sound.

Open 夸 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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