猪圈 (zhū juān) — pigsty (literal and figurative) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A pen or enclosure for raising pigs; also used figuratively to describe a very messy room (like a 'pigsty' in English).

noun

pigsty (literal and figurative)

Measure word · 个

Examples

猪圈。
Zhè ge zhū juān lǐ yǎng le shí tóu zhū.
This pigsty is raising ten pigs.
猪圈。
Tā de fáng jiān luàn dé xiàng zhū juān yí yàng.
His room is as messy as a pigsty.
猪圈。
Nóng mín měi tiān dōu yào dǎ sǎo zhū juān.
The farmer has to clean the pigsty every day.

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.

猪 and 圈 combine to mean a pen for pigs.

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.

犭者猪

Meaning part形符xíngfú

犭Written in full as犬quǎndog

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě猪zhū

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

猪 combines 犭, a dog sign, with 者 as a sound part.

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

囗卷圈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

囗囗wéi

Sound part声符shēngfú

卷

卷juàn圈quān

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

圈 is made of the outer 囗, an enclosure shape, and the inner 卷, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Agriculture & Farming Buildings & Structures

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