着风 (zhe fēng) — to catch a cold (from wind/draft) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial, traditional-style way to say 'catch a cold from wind/draft' (着了风). Less clinical than 感冒; emphasizes wind or draft as the cause.

verb

to catch a cold (from wind/draft)

Examples

，。
Tā zuó tiān zhe le fēng, jīn tiān méi lái shàng bān.
He caught a cold from the wind yesterday; he didn't come to work today.
，。
Kāi zhe chuāng hu róng yì zhe le fēng, zuì hǎo guān shàng.
Leaving the window open makes it easy to catch a cold from the draft; better close it.
，。
Wǒ shàng ge yuè zhe le yí cì fēng, nán shòu le hǎo jǐ tiān.
I caught a cold from the wind once last month and felt awful for several days.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

着 means to catch or be affected by, and 风 is the wind or draft, giving catch a cold.

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě著zháo

Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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