犁田 (lí tián) — to plow a field

Definition

A 离合词: 犁 (the plow/plowing) and 田 (field) split apart when a complement or object intervenes, as in 犁了一天地. Means 'to plow a field' — the action of turning soil before planting.

verb
to plow a field

Examples

  • 犁田。
    Nóng mín zài chūn tiān lí tián.
    Farmers plow fields in spring.
  • 。
    Tā zuó tiān lí le yì tiān tián.
    He plowed the field all day yesterday.
  • 犁田。
    Zhè kuài dì xū yào lí tián.
    This piece of land needs to be plowed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

犁líto plow
田tiánfield

犁田 joins 犁 'to plow' with 田 'field' to mean working land with a plow.

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
牛牛niúcow
Sound part声符shēngfú
利
利lì犁lí
Same sound today

犁 pairs 牛 (cow) with 利, which supplies the sound.

Open 犁 →

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

田 looks like a field divided into four sections.

Open 田 →

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