灰鼠 (huī shǔ) — squirrel

Definition

noun
squirrel
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 灰鼠。
    Wǒ zài gōng yuán lǐ kàn dào yì zhī huī shǔ zài shù shàng chī guǒ zi.
    I saw a squirrel eating fruit in the tree in the park.
  • 灰鼠，。
    Zhè zhǒng huī shǔ de máo shì huī sè de, wěi ba hěn dà.
    This kind of squirrel has grey fur and a big tail.
  • 灰鼠。
    Tā yǎng le yì zhī huī shǔ dàng zuò chǒng wù.
    He keeps a squirrel as a pet.

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.

灰huīgray
鼠shǔmouse

“灰” gray and “鼠” mouse or rat name a gray squirrel.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

灰 shows 火 (fire) that can be touched by 又 (hand), meaning ash.

Open 灰 →

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

The shape of 鼠 pictures a rat: the upper part looks like an open mouth with teeth, while the lower part shows two feet on the left and a tail on the right.

Open 鼠 →

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