玩艺 (wán yì) — (variant of 玩意) thing, stuff, gadget | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

玩艺 is a colloquial variant of 玩意 — an informal noun for a thing, gadget, or 'stuff', often used when the speaker can't or won't name it precisely. Casual; not for formal writing.

noun

(variant of 玩意) thingstuffgadget

Measure word · 个

Examples

玩艺。
Zhè ge wán yì hěn yǒu yì si.
This thing is very interesting.
玩艺。
Tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yí gè xiǎo wán yì.
He is holding a small gadget in his hand.
玩艺？
Zhè xiē dōu shì shén me wán yì?
What are all these things?

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.

Though 玩 and 艺 relate to play and craft, 玩艺 now names a thing or gadget.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

元

元yuán玩wán

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

玩 pairs 玉 (jade) with 元 (yuán) for sound. The jade part points to toys made of jade.

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

艹乙艺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

乙

乙yǐ艺yì

Same sound today

In 艺, the top 艹 points to plants, and the lower 乙 gives the sound.

Appears in

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