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男式 (nán shì) — men's (attributive), men's-style

Definition

Attributive adjective meaning 'men's-style' (clothing, watches, shoes, etc.), used only before a noun. It describes the style/category, not who wears it — both men and women can buy 男式 items.

adjective
men's (attributive)men's-style

Examples

  • 男式。
    Tā mǎi le yì zhī nán shì shǒu biǎo.
    He bought a men's watch.
  • 男式。
    Zhè jiā diàn zhī mài nán shì yī fu.
    This store only sells men's clothing.
  • 男式。
    nán shì Pí xié de zhì liàng hěn hǎo.
    The quality of the men's leather shoes is very good.

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.

男nánmen
式shìstyle

男 refers to men and 式 to style, giving a style for men.

Characters in this word

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

男 is made from 田, a field, and 力, strength. It shows a man working with strength in a field.

Open 男 →

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
工工gōngwork
Sound part声符shēngfú
弋
弋yì式shì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

式 pairs 工, meaning work, with 弋, which gives the sound.

Open 式 →
Appears in
Clothing

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