爽身粉 (shuǎng shēn fěn) — talcum powder

Definition

noun
talcum powder

Examples

  • ，爽身粉。
    Xià tiān de shí hou, gěi bǎo bao tú yì xiē shuǎng shēn fěn kě yǐ fáng zhǐ cháng fèi zi.
    In summer, applying some talcum powder to the baby can prevent heat rash.
  • 爽身粉，。
    Zhè zhǒng shuǎng shēn fěn de xiāng wèi hěn dàn, shì hé mǐn gǎn pí fū.
    This kind of talcum powder has a light scent and is suitable for sensitive skin.
  • ，爽身粉。
    Xǐ wán zǎo hòu, tā xí guàn zài bèi shàng pāi yì xiē shuǎng shēn fěn.
    After showering, she habitually pats some talcum powder on her back.

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.

爽身refresh the body
爽shuǎngrefresh身shēnbody
动宾Verb + object
粉fěnpowder

爽身 means refreshing the body and 粉 means powder, together naming powder that leaves the body feeling fresh.

Characters in this word

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

爽 is written by combining 大 and 㸚 to mean bright.

Open 爽 →

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

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn粉fěn
Same sound today

粉 pairs 米 (rice) with 分 for its sound. The rice part points to face powder made from rice.

Open 粉 →
Appears in
Toiletries & Cosmetics

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