甲虫 (jiǎ chóng) — beetle | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

beetle

Measure word · 只

甲虫。
Wǒ kàn jiàn yì zhī jiǎ chóng zài shù shàng.
I saw a beetle on the tree.
甲虫。
Zhè zhǒng jiǎ chóng de ké hěn yìng.
This kind of beetle has a very hard shell.
甲虫。
Hái zi xǐ huan shōu jí bù tóng yán sè de jiǎ chóng.
Children like to collect beetles of different colors.

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.

“甲” (shell/armor) describes the hard body of “虫” (insect), giving beetle.

Characters in this word

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

甲 is drawn as a hard protective shell, carapace, or scales of an animal, or as armor made of connected plates.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蟲; 虫 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 蟲 is the one the reference discusses; 虫 is also a traditional character on its own.

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