番木瓜 (fān mù guā) — papaya | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

papaya

Measure word · 个

番木瓜。
Wǒ zuó tiān mǎi le yí gè fān mù guā.
I bought a papaya yesterday.
番木瓜，。
Zhè ge fān mù guā hěn tián, hěn hǎo chī.
This papaya is very sweet and delicious.
番木瓜，。
fān mù guā Shì rè dài shuǐ guǒ, zài zhōng guó nán fāng hěn cháng jiàn.
Papaya is a tropical fruit, very common in southern China.

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.

木瓜papaya

偏正Modifier + head

番 marks a foreign origin and 木瓜 names the papaya fruit, referring to papaya.

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.

釆田番

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

釆

釆biàn番fān

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

番 is built from 釆 and 田: 釆 supplies a sound, and 田 is the meaning part, though the original sense is unclear.

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

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

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

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.