画眉 (huà méi) — (noun) Chinese hwamei, a type of thrush (Garrulax canorus); (noun) eyebrow pencil; eyebrow makeup

Definition

画眉 (huà méi) has two unrelated senses: the bird 'Chinese hwamei' (a song thrush) and 'eyebrow pencil/makeup' (literally 'draw eyebrow'). The second sense is a verb-object compound; tone sandhi applies — huà méi can be pronounced huà méi.

noun
Chinese hwameia type of thrush (Garrulax canorus)eyebrow pencileyebrow makeup

Examples

  • 画眉。
    Zhè zhī huà méi de jiào shēng fēi cháng hǎo tīng.
    This hwamei's song is very beautiful.
  • 画眉。
    Tā měi tiān huà zhuāng shí dōu huì yòng huà méi.
    She uses an eyebrow pencil every day when she puts on makeup.
  • 画眉。
    Zhè zhǒng huà méi niǎo zài nán fāng hěn cháng jiàn.
    This type of hwamei bird is very common in the south.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

画huàpaint
眉méieyebrow

画 and 眉 refer to painting the eyebrows, which names a thrush and eyebrow makeup.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùbrush
Sound part声符shēngfú
規
規guī畫huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.

Open 画 →

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

眉 originally showed 𠃜, hair, above 目, an eye.

Open 眉 →

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