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畅游 (chàng yóu) — to have a good swim; to swim freely and happily; to enjoy a journey; to travel smoothly

Definition

畅游 (chàng yóu) is an elegant written-style verb meaning to roam or travel freely and unhindered — used for both swimming and journeying, often figuratively (e.g. 在知识的海洋里畅游).

verb
to have a good swimto swim freely and happilyto enjoy a journeyto travel smoothly

Examples

  • 畅游。
    Xià tiān wǒ xǐ huan qù hǎi biān chàng yóu.
    In summer I like to go to the seaside and have a good swim.
  • 畅游。
    Tā chàng yóu zài zhī shi de hǎi yáng lǐ.
    He swims freely in the ocean of knowledge.
  • 畅游。
    Wǒ men jì huà míng nián chàng yóu zhōng guó gè dì.
    We plan to travel around various parts of China smoothly next year.

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.

畅chàngsmooth/free
游yóuswim/travel

The smoothness in 畅 describes the swimming or traveling in 游 as free and pleasant.

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 暢; 畅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
申申shēn
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng暢chàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 暢 combines 申 and 昜, with 昜 giving the sound; the simplified 畅 is a later shorthand.

Open 畅 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
斿
斿yóu游yóu
Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →
Appears in
Travel & Tourism

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