牛蛙 (niú wā) — bullfrog | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

bullfrog

Measure word · 只

Examples

牛蛙。
Zhè zhǒng niú wā bǐ pǔ tōng qīng wā dà hěn duō.
This kind of bullfrog is much bigger than ordinary frogs.
牛蛙。
Shì chǎng shàng yǒu mài xīn xiān de niú wā ròu.
The market sells fresh bullfrog meat.
牛蛙。
Tā yǎng le jǐ zhī niú wā zuò wéi chǒng wù.
He keeps a few bullfrogs as pets.

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.

牛 contributes the idea of a cow-like size and 蛙 is a frog, naming the bullfrog.

Characters in this word

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

牛 is drawn as a bull's head, with two horns and two ears.

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

虫圭蛙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

虫虫chónginsect; creature

Sound part声符shēngfú

圭

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

蛙 is built from 虫 (creature) and 圭, which gives the sound clue.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals

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