牧群 (mù qún) — herd (of grazing animals)

Definition

noun
herd (of grazing animals)
Measure word · 群

Examples

  • 牧群。
    Cǎo yuán shàng yǒu yí dà qún mù qún.
    There is a large herd on the grassland.
  • 牧群。
    Mù mín měi tiān dōu yào zhào kàn mù qún.
    Herdsmen have to look after the herd every day.
  • 牧群。
    mù qún Zài hé biān hē shuǐ.
    The herd is drinking water by the river.

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.

牧mùgrazing
群qúnherd

Grazing animals grouped together form a herd.

Characters in this word

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

牧 puts 牛 (cow) beside 攴 (a whip), showing someone herding cattle.

Open 牧 →

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
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
君
君jūn群
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

群 pairs 羊, a sheep, to point to a herd or group, with 君 giving the sound.

Open 群 →

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