狸猫 (lí māo) — leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis); tabby c… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)tabby cat

Measure word · 只

Examples

狸猫。
Zhè zhǒng lí māo shēng huó zài yà zhōu de sēn lín lǐ.
This kind of leopard cat lives in Asian forests.
狸猫，。
Wǒ jiā yǎng le yì zhī lí māo, tā hěn kě ài.
My family keeps a tabby cat; it's very cute.
狸猫。
lí māo De pí máo shàng yǒu piào liang de huā wén.
The leopard cat's fur has beautiful patterns.

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.

狸líleopard cat

狸 marks the kind of cat, so 狸猫 is a leopard cat or tabby cat.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

Same sound today

狸 pairs 犬, a dog, with 里, which gives the sound.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

苗

苗miáo猫māo

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

猫 puts 犬 beside 苗; 犬 marks the animal sense, and 苗 gives the sound.

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